Battle of Fury Valley
by FanFickChick1992
Summary: Ember finds herself hurt and angered when everyone leaves her behind. Read to find out.
1. Left Behind

Greetings all! This is the SEQUAL to Storm on the Horizon, but it is not entirely necessary to read the first one to understand the situation. PLEASE R&R! (But if there are any errors in spelling please PM me about them.

The italics are thoughts not spoken words.

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_How could they just up and leave me like that? _Crouching down behind a fern, a girl with long dark brown hair held a bow in her hands. Her deep emerald green eyes focused on something just slightly forward from her current position. _They leave to have a good time…they leave after three years of being friends… What kinds of friends leave you all alone in an empty village?_

Closing her eyes, she calmed herself, bring her every breath to a near standstill as she attempted to blend in un-noticed. It helped that she wore a green shirt that covered most of her arms and half of each hand, and pants of brown leather. Her shoes were also an earthy dark brown color, which pulled the entire hunting outfit together.

Hair fell in her face as she waited for the perfect moment, and memories of the day she had been so willfully left behind filled her mind.

_**FLASHBACK~**_

"I'm sorry Ember." Hiccup climbed out of one of many ships preparing for launch. The tone of his voice depicted his frustration toward her, and couldn't have made it any clearer that he wished she would disappear for a little while. Grinding his teeth and trying to get what needed to be done, done, he turned to her with a sigh. "It's like I said the last forty-five times you've asked me. You CANT come with us."

"Hiccup's right." Astrid walked up with the rest of the group following close behind. Tossing the sack in the boat, she looked up at Ember. "It's a VIKING tradition, and no outsiders or strangers can come with us. It's…sort of like a family reunion."

"But…" The words had come out of her mouth like a river of acid, and Ember could feel her heart sink. "What am I supposed to do while you and the dragons leave for six months?"

Walking over, Ruffnut placed a hand on Ember's shoulder with a smile. "You've got other friends don't you?" This, for Ruffnut, was a nice way of saying, 'get the picture?'. "You've got Frankie and Alyssa don't you?" Again, this was a nice way of saying, 'go bug someone else for a while'.

Looking around, she could see that no-one stood on her side in all of this. She also knew good and well that they knew that both Frankie and Alyssa were going home for a three month vacation.

Closing her eyes, Ember curled her fists and walked away looking very hurt. She didn't like for people to see her cry, not anyone. Though, at the moment nothing mattered. "At least I know SOMEONE who will be around no matter what…" Her words were spoken under her breath so no one would hear.

Seeing her walk off so disheartened caused both Hiccup and Astrid to look at one another with regret.

Walking up to the group from behind with Gobber at his side, Stoic placed a hand on his sons shoulder. "It's just the way things are Hiccup. She'll come to understand that." Trying to cheer his now much older Viking son up was something Stoic had become very acquainted with.

"Aye, just let the lass come around to the idea." Gobber looked up as the others did, and watched Ember storm off without even as much as a good-bye.

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"You're leaving too?" Ember couldn't believe what she was seeing. Both Toothless AND Marble were walking toward the docks from the forest with satchels full of newly caught fish for their journey in the boats.

Indeed, Marble, Ember's most trusted and loyal friend, was leaving for Dragon Island with the other dragons of Berk. The reason being that it was breeding season. He didn't seem to be the least bit concerned with Ember's plight or her obviously hurt expression. His instinct had taken control of his every action, and thought he was aware of both her anger and her sadness, he did nothing but continue to walk toward the docks.

Seeing his harness, she reached out to hold on. Her feet drug the ground as she attempted to stop him so they could see eye to eye, but nothing worked. Once she had been able to slow him down even a slight bit, he pushed her away forcefully with his tail and proceeded to walk after giving her a few scolding roars. This hurt her more than anything.

As she watched both dragons walk out of sight without even looking back, tears streaming from her eyes and she grasped her chest. It had been a long few years since she had arrived on the island at the age of 15, and in all that time she had never been alone, and now…no one even seemed to care that she would be all alone in an EMPTY village. Not even Frankie whom she had spent so much time with.

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Sitting atop the highest gassy sea cliff she could find, Ember watched as the ships set sail. Each ship carted loads of food and supplies for the long trip, and as they sailed from the harbor the dragons of Berk flew off for Dragon Island.

Every dragon with the acceptation of the two aboard the ships.

Looking up, Hiccup caught sight of Ember and shouted a loud Viking goodbye and began to wave. He was soon joined by the rest of the group and both Night Furies. Even Frankie and Alyssa shouted a goodbye from their boat.

Everyone's happy attitude stopped immediately and everyone slowly lowered their hands and voices as Ember stood up and walked into the forest.

That night, Ember lay on the sand next to the bones of the massive Sea Serpent that had nearly claimed her as its victim within her first week of living in Berk. They bay still looked as it had all those many years ago…on the day everyone truly became tied together as friends. A boat stood beached only a few feet away, and inside was a bag of supplies and everything she had accumulated over her last three years in Berk.

Astrid's words played over and over in Embers mind as if to remind her of what she really was to them.

_("_ _It's_ _a Viking tradition, and no OUTSIDERS or STRANGERS can come_._")_

Standing, she looked over and patted the serpent's massive skull. "Thanks…you gave me what I needed. Even if it was only for a little while. Thank you for the trouble you caused…and all the good luck you brought. Watch over this place for me ok?" Talking to a Massive sun-bleached skull would have seemed strange and crazy to anyone else but her, as it should have. She did this because the serpent was a symbol. A symbol of the life she would now be leaving behind.

As she sailed out to sea, she looked back for what she figured would be the last time…on the island she had begun to call home.

_**END FLASHBACK~**_

_Outsider…stranger… Even after all I did for them, that's all I am. After everything I did to help defend Berk. The missions, the extra jobs within the village, and even after nearly losing my life saving them. I'm still a stranger. Not family._ Ember Sat slumped with her back now against a tree. She still remained hidden behind the shrub with an arrow now accompanying the bow in her hand.

The deer he had been hunting was now her main objective. She had been tracking it deep into the mountains for days trying to get a good shot, and she wasn't going to miss this time.

The sudden memory of how she met Marble played through her mind, causing her to become distracted as sadness crept in. One slip up was all it took.

Losing her balance, Ember found herself readjusting her position. In doing so, a twig snapped under her foot. "Damn!" Standing, she stretched the bow back and released it as the deer went to leap away. Unfortunately she nabbed it just as another arrow hit it from the opposite side. "What the…"

Walking forward, Ember looked down at what exactly it had been to impale the opposite side of the deer. Oddly enough, it wasn't an arrow at all.

But…who killed deer with a black dagger?


	2. Friends or Enemies Pt 1

It was a bit too quiet for Ember's taste, and knowing someone was out there watching didn't make her feel any better about it. Silence echoed through the trees as she listened intently for any sign of the one who had thrown the dagger. _Why can't I hear them…?_

There came a sudden creaking sound from just above where she now stood. Looking up cautiously, Ember reached back for another arrow to defend herself if need be.

"Don't even think about it." The voice of a girl came from the tree just in front of her, and making eye contact, she was surprised to find that the girl was around her age. However, she didn't like seeing a blade being pointed directly at her. "Who are you, and what do you want?" Jumping from the tree the girl landed just in front of Ember, holding the tip of her small sword directly over her heart. "Answer me now."

Feeling her heart begin to race, Ember was surprised to find the feeling of fear absent from her mind. It didn't matter what this strange girl did to her, nor did she truly care. Instead, she observed the details of her captor.

"Why don't you speak? Who are you, and what do you want!" The girl's short silver heir hung just below her chin as it fell from behind her ear. Watching Ember's every movement with caution, she narrowed her dark blue eyes. Unlike Ember however, her wardrobe didn't seem fit for hunting. Her shirt's sleeves were cut off at the elbow and her pants were made of some blue fabric Ember had never seen before. This outfit was completed by black deer skin boots. Truly not an outfit fit for ground hunting. "I'll say one last time, and one last time ONLY. Who the hell are you, and why are you here?"

Finding the girls tone un-necessary, Ember closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "To answer your question on WHO I am, I'm afraid that's none of your business. However, WHAT I was doing should be obvious."

There was a long pause, and after thinking on Ember's words the girl glanced down at the deer. "What are you doing hunting in this area? Don't you know you could have endangered some very precious wildlife?"

The dagger still stood pressed against Embers body, and she could feel the tip ripping a hole in her shirt. _This shirt was new too. _"Sorry bout that, I guess I'm on private property?"

"By the looks of you, you're new around these parts." Lowering her weapon the girl checked Ember over. "Nice bow, never seen one quite like it."

Looking down at the lavishly decorated bow in her hand, Ember tightened her fist. The bow was something special to Ember, but something that also brought up a lot of pain. "A friend made it for me…after my first one broke."

Seeing Ember look so distant in her thoughts, the girl put her weapon away. "So…about this deer, you can take it if you want it."

"No, it's ok." Kneeling down next to the large buck, Ember grabbed the arrow she had used and yanked it from the animal's side. "I'll just find something else. You seem to have more mouths to feed." Looking over the girls shoulder, she peered into the shade of the trees.

Just past the first cluster of pine trees there stood a large creature. Focused on nothing but the two girls, it stood motionless yet ready to go on the defensive. It was a Night fury unlike any she had ever seen before. Like Marble, it had no black coloring, but instead was a dark grey. I's eyes were blue, and encircling the left eye was a thin rim of white. Being arguably smaller than either Toothless or Marble, it could be determined that this Night Fury was female.

"She's beautiful." With a smile Ember closed her eyes and began to turn. "Reminds me of a couple friends." A light chuckle escaped as she placed a hand in her pocket. "So enjoy the buck."

"H-hey wait!" The girl raced forward and stepped into Embers path. "You're just going to leave?"

"Well…yeah, I was planning to." Feeling a bit confused Ember tilted her head and tried to figure out what was going on. "Did you want something else, or is holding a stranger up what people do for fun around here?"

Ignoring the blatant sarcasm in Embers tone, the girl rolled her eyes. "You look lost. Maybe you'd like to come back to my place and rest for a little while."

"Thanks but no thanks." Holding both hands up in front of her, Ember stepped back. "I'm a huntress, so I can find my own shelt-" Finding her back pressed up against something that hadn't been there before, she turned. "Well hello there."

The Night Fury now stood directly behind her with a curious look about it. Lowering its head, she began to evaluate the new human who stood before her. Taking a few whiffs of the air around Embers body, it seemed to find something truly interesting about her. A dragon's curiosity was something that could never be laid to rest until it had discovered all it could.

Knowing this, Ember did her best to oblige her new friend's curiosity. _She must smell Marble on my clothes…even after five months of being away from him, I still smell like him. _Reaching into her other pocket, she pulled out a small red orb. "Here you go, chew on this for a second, I used to have a friend who loved them." Tossing the orb into the dragons mouth she watched as it began to chew with an elated look upon its face.

"Hey! What did you just feed her?" Stepping forward once again with sword drawn, the girl glared at Ember intently.

"Hey, no need to get so defensive." Realizing she had overstepped an obvious boundary, Ember pulled a few more small orbs from her pocket. "It's ok, they're just dragon whisker pellets."

"Dragon what?" Standing up straight, the girl's arms fell to her sides. Looking past her, Ember she could see her dragon rolling around in a happy delirious state. Her jaw hung ajar. "What did you do to my dragon?"

"D-don't worry." Blushing fiercely, Ember tried to explain. "I-I…you see, once I had…I knew a dragon. He LOVED dragons whisker grass, so I would make him these pellets as a treat." The entire situation was a total embarrassment on her behalf. "I'm so sorry…I should know better than to feed other people dragons."

"Sorry! That has to be the most hilarious thing I've ever seen Ash do!" The girl was now on the ground, holding both her sides and laughing hysterically. "Y-you HAVE to come back and show this to Mia! She'll just die laughing."

_Wait…huh?_ Watching the girl get up, Ember found her right arm being grabbed and pulled off into the woods. "Hey! What's the big idea?" Placing both feet firmly on the ground, she dug her feet firmly into the dirt. "Let me go!"

"Not a chance." Snapping her hand the girl summoned Ash to her side, and before Ember had the chance to figure out what was going on, she had her tied and on the dragons back. "I've still got a few questions for you."

"What? W-who are you?" Struggling against the strength of the girl who had now captured her, Ember found her to be extremely strong. _Who the hell is this girl?_

"The Names Gina." The girl smoke as she tossed one leg over the dragons back behind Ember. "This is Ash, and you're a prisoner until further notice."

_Great._


	3. Friends or Enemies Pt 2

_If anyone ever said that life was fair, and all is just…I'll kill em._ The possibility of being tied up and abducted had been the furthest thing from Ember's mind before going hunting. Now of course it was an entirely different story all together. She had been captured by a strange girl named Gina, been tied up and forced to ride a strange Night Fury, and was now being taken even further into the mountains than she had originally intended to go.

None of this was going over well with her.

"Don't look so down in the dumps, I just need to ask you a few questions." Walking side by side with the Night Fury she called Ash, Gina appeared to be so happy she nearly danced with each step.

_And we couldn't have done that three and a half hours ago? _The look on Embers face said everything Gina needed to know about her frame of mind. "You know, you didn't have to ABDUCT me to ask a few questions!"

"Hey! Don't get an attitude with me!" Pulling her sword from its sheath, Gina narrowed her eyes as Ash stopped walking. "You're about this close to getting that loud mouth of yours shut for you." Placing the tip of the sword under Ember's chin, she was still surprised to find no fear in her eyes. _What's this girl's problem? Most people would be pissing their pants if they had a sword pressed to their throats! _

"Getting frustrated?" A smile crept across Embers face as she closed her eyes. Even faced with a sword at her throat, she knew she had faced far more ferocious and dangerous things than a girl with a double edged sword.

"Who asked you?" Not meaning to, Gina pressed with a bit too much force and lightly cut Ember's chin. It wasn't deep but she could see the blood begin to run down her chin. "I-I'm sorry!"

"No big deal, I've had much worse." Her smile remained stretched across her face as she looked down at Gina. _So I was right. She's all bark and no bite…she didn't mean to cut me, therefore she could most likely never hurt me. In that case…_ "Hey Gina, you got some blood on your blade."

"I did? Where?" Holding the sword out to examine it, Gina examined the tip of the blade. "I don't know what you're talking about, I don't see anythi-" By the time she had figured out Ember's plan, she was already three steps behind.

Using both feet Ember pushed off of Ashe's back and shot herself at Gina's sword. There was no room for mistakes, and as she passed the sword its sharp edges sliced through the bindings. She had freed herself, but it wasn't over. She had known that as soon s she leaped a number of things would happen.

First, Gina would recover quickly from the initial shock, and be ready to re-take control of the situation in seconds. Second, Ash would be ready to leap in defense of his companion…but Ember had been practicing.

Before landing, Ember had grabbed her bow and an arrow from the holster on her back. By the time she had both feet on the ground, it was pointed directly at Gina's head.

Seeing this, Gina immediately dropped the sword and scratched the back of her head with an awkward smile. _How the hell did she do that? _"Ok, you win." Holding a hand out to Ash she mumbled. **"You dork if you attack her she'll shoot me!" **

Thinking she had finally managed to get the upper hand, Ember smirked. However, her victory was a short lived one.

"No she won't. Not if she wants to see tomorrow." A few leaves crunched and shattered under the feet of yet another girl that had come up from behind.

_Oh…DAMN IT ODEN!_ Feeling something sharp and familiar being stabbed into her side, Ember lowered her weapon. "You've got back up…how lovely." Dropping the bow and arrow at her feet she held her hands out to the side.

Getting close enough to Ember to rub it in, Gina was now the one smirking. "Ha! In your face!" Dancing around Ember at a safe distance she clapped. "But it was a good performance."

"Turn around." The new voice belonging to the girl behind her was sharper than Gina's, and commanded more respect with her tone. "Keep your hands out and turn so I can see you."

With a scowl on her face, Ember obliged with a huff. It was almost sad to say, but as she looked the new girl over she felt sort of…inferior.

Long, light blond hair covered most of her face and dark brown eyes, hanging just below her midsection. Other than that, she was so tall and skinny it almost seemed impossible that she could have such muscle. She was obviously a hunter, with a grey short sleeved shirt, and black leather pants. Her boots…also rare black dear skin.

_I officially hate you Oden. _"You know what? I'm tired of playing this game. Just go ahead and ask your stupid questions so I can get back to hunting." Embers stress level had been stretched it its limit.

"What's your problem?" Widening her eyes, the new girl raised an eye-brow. "I just asked you to turn around."

With that Ember snapped. "You know what my problem is? I've been abandoned, tied up and abducted, and now I'm being threatened by two insane girls!" Holding her head Ember looked up. _Why in the name of the gods is it always me that gets the short end of the stick?_

Thinking on Ember's words, the girl turned to face a rather contented looking Gina. "Gina…I'm going to ask you once…and only ONCE." Lowering her weapon, she pushed the hair in her face back behind her ears. "Where did you get her…and why did you take her prisoner?"

Elation turned to guilt as Gina poked both index fingers together in front of her chest. "I um…that is to say I…I brought her here because…"

"You abducted ANOTHER hunter from the pine forest didn't you?" Crossing both arms the girl glared down on Gina with an angry face. _Honestly…why does this stuff…_

…_only happen to me? _Looking back behind the new girl, Ember spotted another Night Fury. This one was just as Ash was, only its coloring was inverted (all white with grey rim around eye). It too was female. This was obviously no coincidence, and it got ember thinking. _Maybe they come from the same egg. _

"I'm sorry Mia." Gina hung her head in defeat and looked over at Ember. "I'm sorry strange girl."

"My name is Ember."

"Sorry EMBER."

"Ok, well, I'm sorry if she's caused you any trouble." Tilting her head back to look Ember in the eye, Mia sighed. "I guess you'll be wanting compensation for your time. _Just like the others._"

"Nah. It was actually kind of fun. I don't think I've gotten so much company in five months." Picking her bow up off the ground, Ember smiled. "Well, I guess I'll be walking back." Suddenly there was another hand on her shoulder. _I swear if they try to slap more rope on me I'll kill them all. _"Yes?"

"You look like someone with an interesting story to tell." Mia smiled looking back at the two dragons and Gina. "We haven't had any real company for a long time…so maybe you can come back with us and stay a while."

Considering the fact that she really had nowhere else to go, Ember shrugged. "If it keeps you from tying me up again, I guess I'll go back with you for a little while." Turning around, she held out a hand. If you didn't hear before, my name is Ember."

"Well Ember, it's nice to meet you." Wrapping her arm around Embers neck, Mia pointed back to the group. "I'm Mia, that' Mia whom you're already well acquainted to, that's Ash, and the white Night Fury over there is Sierra. She's my dragon. They're both-"

"Night Furies. I know the breed well." Looking down, Ember could feel the pain of separation carving it's way deep inside her core. "I spent a lot of time with a couple of them a while back."

"Well you can tell us all about it over a couple drinks, ok?" Releasing Ember from her death grip, Mia walked over to Gina and the others.

_Well this should be interesting. _

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Darkness set in as Ember guzzled down her fourth or fifth mug of jinn. Never having had alcohol before, it had only taken half a mug to send her into a deliriously talkative state.

"So Ember." Mia smiled trying to keep her laughter back after what had been a rather funny few hour of conversation. "Tell us about your life. Where'd you come from, and w-why were you hunting a bear."

"It was a dear you goof." Gina punched her slightly inebriated sister hard on the shoulder with a light chuckle. "You aren't that drunk…yet."

"I'll tell you who's drunker than that when I say so!" Unable to keep herself from laughing, Mia gave in and laughed until her entire face turned a bright red. "O-ok, deer. What brought you to the pine forest to hunt the small stuff?"

_Small stuff? That bear was at least ten yards tall…_ Even Embers thoughts made no sense. _Wait…bear? _Shaking her head, she declined the question. "I-I don't wanna bore you gals with my life's story." Looking into the mug, a saddened look crossed her face.

"Aww~ She dudnt wanna talk to us~" Mia nudged Gina with an exaggerated wink and a thumbs up. "Now that one's drunk."

"Ok ok…but it's a sad, sad story~~ You sure you wanna know?" Ember's self control and better judgment had all but vanished as she finished off the last drop from the mug and got up on the table in the pub the girls now sat alone in.

"Just tell us~!" Gina slammed her mug on the bar in a half drunken state. "Tell us before I smite you with a hammer."

"Ok~" Standing up with a bottle in her hand, Ember looked down at them. "Well…a long time ago…like when I was a wee lass. I became a hunter girl…well you get it. I was alone A LOT like…every day. I shot a Night Fury on accident…and it caused a lot of grief for both it and myself…" Taking another swig from the bottle she continued. "I took it to a far off island where I had o get help from someone names Alyssa! The mightiest of all healers! After she got there with her good friend Frankie and he indestructible Beryl, I had to help protect the island from a mighty beast! The sea serpent!"

Hearing this story took the giggles right out of both Mia and Gina. Watching Ember weave her tail was more frightening than they had anticipated, and seeing her speak of things so lightly caused them to question the truthfulness of Embers words.

"It was a long battle, and Oden didn't make it easy for me, no sir…I was poisoned and nearly eaten by the mighty beast!" A wide smile crossed her face as the story began to draw to a close. "I've the scars to prove my tale here on my side where I was bitten, and I've got the friends to back that it up as well…" With these words Ember finished up the bottle and the smile disappeared. "At least…I had them…until they left me all alone again." Walking to the edge of the bar where the bars surface met the wall, she turned and slid into a slumped position, with both legs pressed against her stomach and chest. "Three years of dedicated friendship…after being there for them no matter how hard…I got left behind. Even my best friend…my Night Fury, left me without even a second glance…" Tears now streamed from her eyes and she dropped the bottle to the floor. "So much time and I'm still a stranger…an outsider."

"You've had enough I think." Walking to the end of the bar, Gina scooped the semi conscious Ember off of the bar. "C'mon Mia, I think we know enough."

They realized upon seeing her break down that her every word had been true.


	4. She's gone?

**BACK ON BERK~**

Six months of parties and traveling can really take it out of a Viking. No one knew this more so than Hiccup's motley crew. It had been an exciting trip for the entire village, but everyone was ready to get back to their normal lives. At least for another three or so years before the next gathering.

Moring their ships, the villagers began the arduous task of emptying the boats of what remained of their supplies. This task however, was one Hiccup and the others had graciously decided to skip out on. After all, it had been months of parties and traveling, and no one wanted their vacation being ended by thoughts of work.

Both Marble and Toothless joined them as they snuck away from the docks and into the narrow passages behind the huts. These passages led to the upper most section in the village, and kept them out of sight while the other Vikings finished the work.

Leading the way, Marble knew exactly what he was looking for, and seeing as breeding season hadn't worked out so well, he couldn't wait to see his rider again. The last time he had seen her she hadn't been entirely too happy, but he was sure she'd be over it by now. This thought came from his understanding that human emotions seemed to be very temporary things.

Making his way to the third hut from the top of the hill, Marble pawed at the door. However, unlike usual the door swung open with ease. Unsure what to make of this, he proceeded to make his way inside with caution. Never before had she left the door unhinged for someone to simply push their way inside. Upon entering he saw what truly waited for him in the near darkness of the hut.

Nothing.

The room that had only months before been filled with Ember's belongings, now stood bare and cold. Not one scrap of parchment was left to scatter the floor, and the fire pit sat colder than the ground surrounding it. Obviously, it had been a long time since anyone had dwelled in this room, and sniffing he air he could find no trace of her. His heart raced as he tried to understand.

"She's gone." Alyssa stood leaning against the door frame behind him with both arms crossed. Sadness played through her posture and tone like a melody, and clutching both fist as tight as she could her eyes focused on Marbles face. "When Frankie and myself…when we came back three months ago she had already been gone for a long time."

Ever since he had become partners with Ember, Marble had learned to understand the vast majority of the human's language, and at hearing Alyssa's words his heart dropped. _Gone…she's gone? _Fear and anxiety took control of Marble's action's immediately, and roaring loudly he raced out the door and into the village.

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"What do you mean she's gone?" Astrid slammed her fist firmly into the wall next to Frankie's head. "She can't just up and vanish!"

Looking both surprised and understanding, Frankie moved out of Astrid's range and stoked the fire. It was very hard to explain Ember's disappearance to the others without being saddened by the situation as well. "She was mad maybe…or sad…perhaps a little of both."

"What did she think she was doing?" Hiccup stood awe stuck in front of the group. "It was only six months, it's not like we were leaving forever." Trying to think it though logically, he could come up with no clear reasoning."

"She's being a child. That's all this is." Astrid had had enough of Ember's attitude. "She can't go to the festival, and suddenly she doesn't wasn't to live here anymore?"

Closing her eyes, Frankie sighed. "It's deeper than that." Gesturing to Beryl, she watched as the small dragon unrolled a large cot on the floor. On the cot was a mess of black ink and splotches. "You see, it wasn't the fact that she couldn't go that bothered her…though I do think that played a part in it." Holding out a hand, Frankie motioned the others over to the cot. "Go on then, read what it says."

Making their way over to it, everyone felt a sudden tightness form in their chest. In black ink there stood two words in bold.

_**STRANGER…OUTSIDER…**_

Thinking back at the day they had departed, Astrid remembered some of the last few words she had spoken to Ember.

"Way to go Astrid, real smooth." Ruffnut elbowed her in a disappointed fashion.

"W-well…what I meant was that she wasn't family." Guilt was the last thing Astrid felt in her moment of anger. It was because of a couple of words that everyone looked at her for the fault. A couple of words that she perceived as being taken the wrong way. "It's not my fault!"

"You are correct my dear." Standing in the door way was a short elderly woman with long white hair and a tall staff. It was the village's eldest member, and the wisest of all the Vikings. Her name was one every Viking knew, but also one that was forbidden to speak out of respect for her title.

"Elder!" Astrid along with more than half the group took a knee in respect. "What are you doing here when you're home is-"

"I foresaw this many months ago as we planned the great journey to the mother land. You're friend has run off has she not?" Hobbling into the hut, the Elder gave the signal for all to stand. "I watched every last one of you get excited, and I watched every last one of you push Ember to the side." Feeling Marble directly behind her she closed her eyes and looked over her shoulder. "Even you did so in preparation for the season."

"But Elder, we each attended a family event…no str-" Astrid stopped mid sentence as the Elders staff touched her lips. _I don't understand…_

"Such a shame…I would have thought this a lesson learned by now, however it seems you have each missed the true meaning of family." Shaking her head in disappointment the Elder turned away from the group admittedly ashamed. "Now is the time to make a choice…do you go find your friend? Or do you let her go as you would any other stranger?" With that the elderly woman hobbled out of the hut and out of sight.

_What did that old hag mean by pushed her away? _The memory of the days before he had departed had been blurred due to the hold his instinct had had on him. Knowing he might never see his rider again tore at him with a pain he had never before experienced. True, their bond as dragon and rider had grown over the years, but how could something hurt like this? He HAD do find her.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Still feeling that Ember had blown things far out of proportion, Astrid attempted to hide her anger. She didn't do a very good job.

"The only thing we can do is go get her." Hiccup hated to think that he would be departing from Berk the vary day he had returned, but under the circumstances he could think of no other option. "But I'm afraid we can't ALL go along for the trip. Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs will have to stay behind."

With a slight grin riding across their faces the few people mentioned backed toward the door.

"Aww~ that sucks." Ruffnut looked to Tuffnut and the two of them bolted out the door followed by Fishlegs and Snotlout.

"Well, glad to see them look so down about it." Watching with a rather 'I expected that' kind of look, Hiccup sighed. "I know none of us want to go, but she's a friend and we should at least talk to her."

"But Hiccup we don't even know where she's sailed off too." Astrid held her head in total disbelief. _If she doesn't want to be here anymore, then I say we should just-! _Looking over she could see the look of pain him Marbles eyes. …_Go look for her._ "I don't know exactly what the elder meant by what she said…all I know is that when I find Ember, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind."

"Actually, I think I have a pretty good idea where she went." Smiling proud of herself, Frankie picked Beryl up by the tail and placed him on the wall. "Show em Beryl."

Five seconds passed and the small Terrible Terror did nothing but stare blankly at the map on the wall. Another five seconds and still nothing… Finally, after a minute and a half of silence the small dragon crawled to the ceiling and hung upside down from the chandelier. Within seconds it began to snore.

Everyone: _Useless…_

"Well I think she would go here." Picking up a small poker, Frankie pointed to the mountains on the mainland far-east. "This mountain range is the largest in the known world and it stretches for hundreds of miles in all directions… The region is known as the dark zone, and it has some of the best hunting around."

"Then I guess we know where we're going." Hiccup looked around the room. "Go get Alyssa and get Beryl off the ceiling. We're leaving as soon as we can."


	5. How to Train Your Dragon, Ember style

_Every time…this has happened every time so far…_ Trudging back into camp, Ember sighed heavily as she tossed her bow to the side. "Tell me how you two have survived for so long out here on your own with hunting skills like THAT." Sweat beaded on her forehead as she sought shelter from the blazing sun.

"What do you mean **like that**? Our shot's were right on target every time!" Walking in behind her, Gina panted in exhaustion. "It wasn't our fault everything kept moving around."

"No, but the only reason your prey moved was because you lack the ability to shut up for five seconds." Finally relaxing, Ember caught an angry glance coming her way from Mia. "Hey, what's that look for? I didn't do anything to you."

"Well if you're so much better than us, why don't you tell us what it was EXACTLY that we did wrong." Not one to be judged, Mia's blood pressure soared. "I mean you obviously know what you're talking about since you whined about it all the way back!"

_Have patience…_ "No, I'm not perfect. However, I do know quite a lot about hunting, and what makes or breaks a good team." Getting to her feet, Ember groaned in a bit of pain from the vigorous workout she had received from a day of chasing her two new friends around. "That said, I've been watching the way you two hunt as a team for the last few weeks, and from what I can see there are a few…well…problems."

"Oh yeah? Name three." Mia was convinced Ember was exaggerating to make her point, and she was determined to expose her flawed logic.

"You talk too much, you're distracted, and you lack team-work." A smile plastered it's self on Ember's face as she watched Mia scramble for more words.

"T-that's not fair. Talking and being distracted are two different things." _Aren't they? _Mia shook her head and pointed at Ember in determination. "Name five more "problems" you see with our team hunting technique." _There's no way there could be that many problems…_

"You don't take your time, you never have your weapons out and ready, you don't watch your step, you breathe like a woman in labor, and you attack before it's time." Naming so many mistakes right off hand slightly worried Ember. Looking up she smiled. "On the other hand, I can see the excellent bond you two have, and that's key if you're ever going to function well as a team. Noticing the two Night Furies that had been lounging about all day in the sun, she became irritated. "You two!"

Ember's voice didn't seem to register with either Ash or Sierra, and they continued to bask in the sun. Both dragons merely shifted position and turned their backs on Ember.

_What the…did they just ignore me? _With a low growl, Ember crossed her arms. "And why might I ask do they just SIT all day?"

"They just don't like to work sometimes, and other time's they'll go hunting with us just to watch." Gina scratched the back of her head. "Haven't you noticed them just layin around for the last month you've been here?" In the next instant, she found her arm being grasped tightly. "Hey what's the big idea?"

Grabbing Gina and Mia by the wrist, Ember marched them both over to their dragons. "Enough is enough." Releasing them, she looked back for a moment with a fumingly angry expression. "Stay there and close your eyes, and if you peak even a little so help me gods I'll back hand you both." Force wasn't her favorite way of handling things, but something had to be done about the hunting problems. Leaving them there she walked back to the cave they had all been living in.

Gina looked over to Mia in a dazed trance. "Did she just order us to-"

"Close your eyes!" Ember's shout caused the girls eyes to spring shut.

Ember didn't re-appear for what felt like an eternity, but when she did she held a number of things in her arms. Working quickly, Ember tossed a chain around Ash's neck and locked it snuggly with a padlock. Doing the same to Sierra she watched both dragons sit up with curious faces.

_What's she doing? _ Looking down at the chain around her neck Sierra observed as she shackled the other end of the chain to her rider. As far as she could tell, this didn't appear to be going toward anything she was going to like.

_What the bloody hell does this human think she's going? _Ash was equally as confused as Sierra and her human counterpart.

"Ember, what the hell?" Pulling at the shackle around her wrist, Mia found that it wouldn't move. "Is this some kind of joke or something?" Had she looked up, she might have noticed the smile upon Ember's face.

"What's so damn funny about this? Free us now!" Gina pulled at the restraint and also found that it wouldn't budge. "NOW!"

"No can do I'm afraid." Folding her arms Ember admired her work. "You each have five foot of chain between both you and your dragons. This is how you're going to be hunting for all of our food from now on."

"What's the meaning of this?" Both Mia and Gina approached Ember followed by their dragons. It was apparent that they were angry, and neither of them quite understood Ember's plan.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty about this." Standing her ground, Ember held out both hands. "I've hidden all four keys in a place neither of you would ever think to look. When the two of you can act like a team WITH your dragons, I'll release you."

"That's easy." Mia smirked patting Sierra on the head. "She may be really lazy and obnoxious sometimes, but she'll still do what I say."

With those words Sierra was not amused. _Lazy? Look who's talkin._

"Easy is it? Then I'll make you a deal." Narrowing her eyes, Ember gave a faint smile. With Mia's cocky attitude, and Gina's short temper it would be all too easy to get the ball rolling. "Since so good at being a team, catch me. If you can pin me in the next five minutes, then I'll release you. If not, you have to wear the chains until you can prove to me that without a shadow of a doubt you can work together with your dragons."

"We accept your challenge." Mia gave Gina a high five and looked back at Sierra. "We'll have you in under three."

Seeing the evil smile stretched lightly across Ember's face, Gina began to see where this was going. "Uh…Mia…I don't think-"

"You're going down!" Racing forward, Mia flinched as the chain suddenly yanked her arm back. In the next second, Sierra was dragging her away. "Sierra! You're going the wrong way! Stop dragging me and attack!"

With wide eyes and bewildered faces, both Gina and Ash watched as Mia was dragged slowly across the grass while protesting her liberties as a woman to be listened to (or something along those lines). Looking back to Ember they found her rocking back and forth on her heals with a sweet and innocent smile plastered upon her face.

"You wanna give it a go?" She didn't open her eyes as she spoke, but Ember could almost tell that the two of them were shaking their heads. "Good, now I'm going to take nap under that tree."

_She just gets stranger, and stranger as time goes by…what does she think she's doing tying us up like this? _With that both Gina and Ash walked over to where Mia was still yelling about her rights as a woman.

"Oh!" Turning back, Ember caught both girls attention nearly instantly. "If you're wondering why I'm doing this, and I know you asked. It's not JUST to learn team work…It's because I think it's about time you learned…

…how to train your dragon."

/

_Sorry if it got confusing a bit, its later and more is starting to happen with the story.R&R! _


	6. Snow Ball Fight

_The sky had always been clear this time of year in Berk…but not here._ Sitting alone on a grassy hill, Ember closed her eyes trying not to think about the storm that approached from the east. As she watched, an unsettling feeling came over her. It was the same looming feeling she had gotten nearly three years before. Something sinister was on its way…but what? "Oh Oden…what could you be planning for me this time?" _I swear if it's another serpent…_ Her thoughts were interrupted as both Mia and Gina walked up from behind and sat down accompanied by two now very attentive and trained dragons.

"How did you know we'd never look in the garden?"Attempting not to look too intrigued, Gina closed her eyes and listened as the wind howled through the trees. In her opinion, the weather couldn't be more perfectly suited to her liking. Several strands of her near gleaming silver hair swirled in her face, and it didn't seem to bother her as a light drop of water splashed against her cheek. "I mean it's not as if we don't eat vegetables."

Thinking on it for a moment Ember smiled. "The fact that it's a place you visit every day…and the fact that you're both blessed with the ignorance of Stoic the Vast himself, made the garden an excellent place to hide a couple of dingy, rusted old keys." Looking over at the girls raw scraped wrists, a burdened sigh escaped her lungs._ I shouldn't have made them so tight…_ "I figured you wouldn't see them at first, and by the time you found them you're dragons would be trained, and your team work would have improved. Do you think I was right?"

Scooting closer to Ember for warmth, Mia's teeth chattered a bit. "As much as I hate to admit it…you were right about our old hunting Methods…and the lazy dragons." At these words she could hear Sierra huff in a state of denial. "Sierra, knock I off, you know I'm right." _Denial… Huh. Sounds like it could be a river somewhere._

What sounded to be a small muffled "HA" rumbled in Sierra's throat. _And you're extremely irritating. _Adjusting her position she pulled her wings together over her head to protect herself from the rain. _You know I'm right. _Not being able to be understood had its advantages.

"So Ember, my sister and I have to go back to our village for a couple of days." Gina smiled over at Ash who had extended a wing over her head to keep her dry. "We wanted to know if you felt comfortable coming with us."

A slight giggle reputed from Ember's smiling face. "Hmm…let me weigh my options." Standing, she held both hands out in front of her. "I can either stay in a dark cave, and hope to the gods it doesn't flood…or, I can go stay in a village where my only worry will be what fire to sit at. Choices, choices, choices…"

"Oh shut up and get on before Sierra and I leave you here." Mia stuck out her tongue before hopping onto Sierra's back. "We'll have to go now if you don't want to spend your night in the rain with _**The Creature**_."

"Aww…why would I be afraid of YOU Mia?" Hoping onto Sierra's back, Ember chuckled trying to hold in a massive laugh.

"Why would you be afraid of…oh hey now." Finally understanding what Ember had linked together Mia held up her pointer finger and pretended to get upset. "I, will get you."

"Shut up and drive." It was hard to speak while holding back a laugh, Gina finally managed to get her sister to stop goofing off and take to the sky.

-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-

The flight there had been a relatively short one, but had they walked, it could have potentially taken hours. There was now a mixture of both snow and ground showing through the dense crop of trees, and an enormous river wound through the trees somewhere in the shadows.

Clouds had eclipsed the sun in all directions, causing a rather unusual looking grayish black form of night that encompassed the forest for miles. Wind pummeled them with leaves and debris from the trees below, and threatened to ground them before they had reached their destination. It was becoming harder, and even more dangerous for the dragons to fly, and seeing this Ember knew it was time to let them land.

"We have to land now!" With wind and rain slamming into her from all sides, Ember could barely see an inch in front of her face. "Now!"

With wind howling by, Ember's words barely registered with Mia who signaled over to Gina that it was time to land. "I don't know what you said! But It's time to land!"

"Well ok! As long as you know what I said!" Holding on tight she prepared for the steep descent into the trees. _Ouch! T-tree branch-! Ouch! _"Are you trying to kill us all?" She had hit nearly every branch on the way in, and upon hitting the ground with nothing but Mia to hold onto, she fell down with her arms around Mia's waist.

"Well that was graceful." Gina landed perfectly in the small space next to Mia, Ember and Sierra. Unlike them. She had somehow managed to only get slightly damp. "And you both look lovely."

Both Ember and Mia sat in the mud with tangled hair and soaked clothing. They were truly a sight to behold with twigs and leaves scattered throughout their hair, and mud on their faces.

Taking a hand full of mud, Ember grinned with an evil smirk. "Well if you like it so much Gina…"

Seeing the mud ball in Ember's hand, Gina slowly dismounted and backed away. "Ember, if you throw that at me I swear to Shiva I'll-" Closing her eyes she flinched as a ball of mud and water made contact with her face. _Oh…I'ma kill her now._ "Oh Ember~" Scooping up a ball f snow, Gina chuckled.

Unfortunately, the snow ball didn't quite hit its intended target. "GINA!" Mia grumbled and picked up even more mud than Ember had. "You'll be a mud pie before I'm done!"

All three girls began a fight of now and mud, and ended up even messier and unkempt than they had been originally. After nearly an hour of fighting and laughing, each girl had successfully tired themselves out.

_What a bunch of hatchlings. _Sierra looked over at Ash with an amused look.

_I think it looked kind of fun. _With a sinister grin, Ash scooped a pack of loose snow up with her tail. _I'm so~ tempted to try it._

_Do it and die. _Releasing her teeth so Ash could see them, Sierra watched her sister drop the snow. _Chicke- _Seeming to come out of nowhere, a snow ball shattered on the tip of her snout. Looking up with narrow irritated cat-like eyes, she spotted the culprit. _Mia?_

"I got you I got you I- OH MY GODS!" Mia disappeared in a puff of white snow that had been tossed from Sierra's tail fins. "You got me…"

It took a moment for the snow to settle, but when it did Gina held her stomach and pointed as she began to laugh. "That was such…that was…You should have seen the look on your-" In another puff of snow, Gina vanished as Mia had. The culprit: Ash. "-face."

At seeing them both sprawled out on the ground, Ember turned red in the face before letting out the loudest laugh she could. "You BOTH just got owned by your dragons! Not just ONE, but TWO bulls-eyes!"

Looking over to Ash Sierra smiled. They both had the same thought. _Shall we?_

Looking over, Ember turned pail. _Damn it Oden! _In a puff of snow bigger than even the two previous ones combined, Ember disappeared. She didn't reappear until five minutes later, and even then she was nearly ten feet from where she had been previously standing. _Was that called for?_

"Well now that we've had our fun, why don't we all get inside where it's warm?" Gina walked toward a large tree that seemed to grow into the wall of the massive mountainside before them. "Just past the tree is a place unlike you've ever seen before…

_Sounds interesting. _


	7. The Hunter and It's Prey

Standing t the foot of the large, odd looking tree, Ember didn't quite know what to say when both Mia and Gina had disappeared through a hole in the tree without a trace WITH their dragons. "Um…Guys? Hello~ is anyone up there?" Even after the call the rain and wind were all she could hear. _How do two people just…disappear?_ Refusing to simply accept this as sane, she climbed up the roots of the odd tree and made her way to where the wood separated into branches.

At the top there was a gaping black hole that seemed to drop for ages. Something didn't add up, and thought she trusted Mia and Gina with her life…she didn't trust them to lead her safely down an abysmal looking hole in a tree. _Well. So much for them. _

"Ew the bloody ell are you?"

Turning around quickly, Ember came face to face with a small thin boy who looked to be a bit older than her. "AH!" Her heart nearly sprang from her chest as she stumbled back a bit.

He had appeared out of nowhere, and stood a good foot below Ember's height. He wore a light mossy green shirt and brown apron, along with a pair of dirty grey pants and odd looking glass goggles. His hair was sort, un-tamed, and as dark a read as it could have ever been. It went well with his enormous brown eyes that were massively enlarged by the goggled he wore. "I asked a question ya wanker!"

Feeling still a bit surprised y his presence, Ember took on more stem back. Before she knew what had happened, she plunged into darkness…but what happened surprised her. Instead of falling into a pit like she had expected, she was instead sliding down a rather smooth surface. _This is just getting ridiculous!_ Closing her eyes she found herself coming to a slow halt. "Huh?"

"Well it took you long enough." Gina stood leaning against the wall next to the end of the slope with a smile on her face.

"We thought you'd been eaten by _**The Creature~**_." Doing the wave with both hands, Mia teased Ember with a serious face. "Good thing you didn-"

"I think I WAS attacked by it!" Hearing something coming down the slope after her, Ember jumped up and ran behind Gina for cover.

"Oh my gods, it's real?" Seeking shelter behind Ember, both girls hid behind Gina for protection.

"No, it's…it's…Tyler." Slapping her palm to her face Gina walked to the side. "Well now we see what all the screaming was all about."

"Ew the ell do you think you are!" The little man was raging mad, and showed it by getting directly in both Gina and Mia's faces. "Ya see all this then?" Walking behind the group of girls, Tyler gestured to the village. "It's the IDDEN Village (Hidden Village)!"

"Yes Tyler, we know it's the Hidden Village. We were only BORN here after all." Mia folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "And what's your point?"

"W-w-what's mi point? Are you DAFT?" Gesturing back to the Village, Tyler waved his hands around frantically as he tried to make his point. "It's the IDDEN VILLAGE! IDDEN! Not the Oo~ Look et mi, come en an rape mi women and burn mi houses Village!"

"She's not going to…do, any of THAT stuff!" The images sent through her mind sent shivers down the back of her neck. _At least…I hope not…ew. _

Despite the enormous amount of background noise, Ember couldn't even fathom paying attention to anything else but the village. _Great Oden's ghost himself… _Standing behind the other' she found herself engulfed by a light glow. "This place…"

The others fell silent and looked over not knowing what Ember had said. "Huh?"

"This place…it's spectacular." Right away Ember was taken by the sight before her.

It was a village like any other. There were pubs, shops, houses, and most of all there were hundreds of people. However, this place was no ordinary village. Walls towering possibly hundreds of feet high, met at a point fathomless distances from the ground. The entire village lay inside a hollow mountain, and even more impressive, there appeared to be tunnels winding through the walls all the way to the very top.

People could be seen walking across massive rope bridges that stretched from tunnel to tunnel, all the way to the roof. Torches wound up and down steep stair cases, and into winding tunnels that led to what were possibly more chambers of the city. However, what Ember found most exciting were the Night Furies…hundreds and hundreds of Night Furies.

They flew across the ceiling and along the walls. Some even roamed the streets of the Village with what were possibly their riders or companions. The dragons near the peak of the ceiling appeared as ants would have if you saw them at a vast distance. Needles to say, this place was massive. Bigger than anything she had ever seen.

"T-this place is amazing!" Sprinting forward. Ember couldn't believe where she was, and even more unbelievable was the fact that SHE was standing there. "Gina, Mia, Tyler, this place is amazing! I can't believe you get to live here."

"Eh…you're right it's pretty awesome." Gina raced forward and grabbed Ember's hand. "C'mon, you have to get permission to stay here!"

"Well that doesn't sound to welcoming."

With that both girls ran off to the Villages head council chambers, where the Chief was at this very moment meeting with his wisest most trusted advisors and elders.

However… much, much further away…

-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-

"Sir, we've found something we think you should take a look at." A man wearing a black vest and pants bowed at the feet of a cloaked figure. "The men think it may be a clue." He showed a slight amount of fear in the presence of the one he called "Sir", which seemed a bit un-becoming for someone of his fit, brawny persona.

Nothing inside the cloak was visible, and it dragged the ground concealing the feet of its owner. Without a word being uttered the cloaked figure blew past the wavering man accompanied by two other men only slightly bigger than the previous one. They walked across a small open strip of land that led over to a group of angry looking men in clothing of all kinds.

Some men wore dragon skulls on top of their heads or as decorations, and others proudly wore their claws and skins as vests. By the look of any one of the men they appeared filthy and vial. Most of them smelled of the muck they had trudged through to get this far, and the others smelled of death. Each had one thing in common.

Blood thirst.

This trait had been bread into every single last one of them, and they sported the weapons to prove it. The metal of every instrument they wielded had been stained by their many battles, and the ones that were not stained had been recently stolen from their previous owners after their death.

In fact, due to most of their battles, the men had countless scars and cuts on any visible part of their bodies.

Making way to allow their leader into the circle, the men seemed to cower a bit in their presence. Looking down the group surrounded the long dead carcass of a dear. Protruding from the dear's side was one of Ember's arrows.

"I-is my gracious master pleased?" The same man from before crawled to the cloaked figures feet as if to beg for approval. His hands folded together. "Please my master! Please tell me you are pleased!"

Reaching down the cloaked figure picked up the arrow and handed it to another man who took it away. Seeing a man so desperate for approval, the figure shook it's head.

"W-what…?" The man looked terrified as two more men took him by the arms and the cloaked figure looked away. "No please! Let me live! I swear I'll find you more clues! Please!" With that the man was taken away.

Thinking on the arrow, the cloaked figure was pleased. While on the hunt for the fabled Hidden Village and its Night Furies, the cloaked figure enjoyed something extra. While the rest of the men hunted dragons, the leader sought a different kind of sport. The one who had once wielded this arrow as a hunter…

…would now become the hunted.


	8. A gods Puppet

The ten minutes alone had been a torture of the highest degree. Being stared at and talked about was NOT one of embers favorite things to go through, and what was even more un-nerving was the youngsters that would every so often run up and tag her. _If aliens exist, then they must feel just like I do right now. Alone and out of place. _

"Ember, come inside. Our father and the alders want to see you." Holding the door open Mia watched as Gina walked out and Ember entered. "Well good luck."

"Wait. You aren't going with-" Turning back Ember found a door closed in her face. "-me…?" _Well fine, I'll go in by myself then. _As she faced the other way, she was met by the faces of several older men and women of the tribe.

Everyone sat around a fire, watching as Ember slowly made her way inside. The glances they began to pass to one another looked to be those of interest and wonder, instead of disapproval. The oldest member of the group appeared to be a woman. She was aged beyond anyone Ember had ever laid eyes on, yet still carried a noble strength about her that nearly made it impossible to resist the urge to bow. Her hair was grey, and unlike most of the village women he wore it in a bun. The staff in her hand was made of iron, and resembled more of a spear than a walking stick.

Aside from the fire, Ember found it to be unnervingly dark inside the large hut. "H-hello."

"Do not speak unless you are spoken too." The larger man standing next to the elderly woman looked through the fire with a scowl of irritation. "Tell us why you are here."

Suddenly Mia's face crept in through the window. "It's her right as a woman to talk dad."

"Oh wha-? Gina, get your sister away from the window!" The bigger man held his forehead with one hand and sighed while massaged his temples. It was a tad bit embarrassing to have his own daughters interrupt such an important meeting to introduce a new comer, and a tad MORE embarrassing to have them interrupt the new meeting to talk about Mia's feminist ideas.

"What the- hey!" Mia grabbed the window in protest as Gina attempted to drag her away. "Don't be silent Ember! You have the right to be heard. Men have no right to silence you!" Her hands left the windowsill as she was forced away. "Women are better!"

Everyone including Ember turned back to the man with slightly confused faces.

"Ha, Ha. You know my Mia!" Scratching the back of his head he could tell they were less than impressed with his parenting. "S-she's a feminist."

"Sure thing…but as to why I'm here…" Clearing her throat Ember tried to come up with something believable. "I'm a wandering huntress…"

This caused a rather odd stir of murmured words and shifting glances. It wasn't something so unheard of, and the bow and arrows she carried with her seemed to fit her story. However, she now represented far more than a mere hunter.

"What are you all talking about?" Seeing the chief about to shut her up, she shot him a glare so piercing he backed down.

The inaudible whispering and glances stopped as the eldest woman walked around the fire. As she did so, she began to speak. "My dear, you say you are a huntress?"

"Yes mam, I've been a huntress for most of my life." Ember became interested in the direction this conversation was going, and something in the back of her mind told her to pay close attention.

_Listen…_ A voice she had long forgotten whispered in her ear. This voice had spoken to her through whispers and dreams many years before, on the day she had nearly lost her life. She knew that if she could hear it, something bad was about to happen.

_I'm listening Oden…_ Watching the elder stop just in front of her, Ember swallowed hard. "Why does it matter?"

Seeing the troubled look upon Ember's face, the woman looked back from man and watched as each of them sat back in their chairs to listen in. "There is a story in our village…a kind of prophecy, that's been handed down through the generations. It tells of a band of hunters and warriors that will one day invade our peaceful home and take all that we have. They will take our live stock…destroy our way of life…and murder our most beloved of all friends…the dragons."

_Oden this better not be going where I think it's going… _This thought was met by a sudden awful feeling as the voice whispered back to her again.

_Listen…_

"However, it is said that a girl would be brought forth by the guardians. A girl with whom the forth wall of our universe is broken, enabling her to have council with the Chief god Oden. This girl will be the one to save us from the darkness." The woman smiled. "You are here…on the very day that it has been foreseen that the hunter's army is on the move."

_DAMN YOU ODEN! _"Whoa! Hold on one second, I just came in because Mia and Gina invited me!" Backing to the door she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to someone I don't even know tell me that I'm some kind of hero, because I'm NOT." Grabbing the doors handle she shook her head. "No this is just a sick joke! It' just a story, and I'm going back out into the rainy stormy weather where everything makes sense!"

_**Stay…**_

_No. _Even thought she knew that she COULD in fact hear him speaking, Ember had decidedly had enough of him. "There isn't one damn thing you could do to make me stay!" Taking one step out of the door she felt as if a weight had been dropped onto her chest. It struck her as a bit surprising when she could get no air into her lungs at all.

Walking up to her, the elder shook her head. "You've broken through the forth wall. He's speaking to you…so do as he commands."

"H-how do I make it stop…" The word came out as gasps as Ember fell on one knee trying to grasp any breath she could find.

"Agree to his terms." The woman stood in front of her looking down as both Gina and Mia looked on. "Agree to what he tells you to do."

_So now I'm Oden's puppet? That's not fair… _Grasping her chest Ember could feel something grab her shoulders.

"What's wrong with her?" Gina looked to Mia who was at a loss. "Well? Is anyone going to do ANYTHING?"

_**STAY…**_

Feeling the situation grow hopeless, Ember saw only one way out. "FINE!" The word used up the last of her air, and everything began to spin. "I'll stay…" Feeling the air return to her lungs it was already too late.

"Whoa!" Reaching out, Gina caught Ember jut before she landed face first in the dirt." What just happened?"

"Devine intervention." Seeing her work complete, the elder walked back into the hut and closed the door.

"Take her to the house." Mia thought for a moment and smiled. "She's going to be angry when she wakes up."

"Why? Will someone explain to me what just happened?" Gina picked Ember's now limp body off the ground. "I seem to be the only one with no clue."

"Well." Mia turned read trying not to laugh at Embers misfortune. "If what I know about out wise tales is true…then she just got her but kicked by Oden."

"Ok, so basically I didn't wanna know." Rolling her Eyes, Gina carried Ember down the street, followed anxiously by a group of onlookers.

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Not so far away, Hiccup and the other's had found a nice cave to call home until the rain passed.

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_Join be next time!_


	9. Finding What Was Lost

"It looks like someone lives here." Alyssa looked around the cave on high alert. "I mean…what if their some kind of murderous lunatic? Or even worse, a COUPLE of lunatics!" Grabbing a knife from what appeared to be a work bench, she turned pail.

"Oh, don't be such a scaredy cat." Frankie flopped herself down on a rather uncomfortable wooden bed that stuck out of the wall. "I'm sure the people who live here abandoned it years ago, I mean look at Marble, he's enjoying himself."

Sniffing around in a box of what appeared to be sharp, dangerous weapons, Beryl reached in and pulled out a long wooden arrow. _Bloody humans, leavin a bloomin stick around like this. Could a poked mi eye out. _

"Beryl, put it down!" Getting to her feet, Frankie glared as evilly as she could, but it was to no avail. "Oh what the hell, just don't eat it. I'm too tired to chase you around."

Everyone was tired. It was just too much to hope to find Ember in such a vast wilderness. Not one town or village had seen hide nor hare of her, and it was beginning to appear that she hadn't come that way at all. Either that, or she had never even made it to the main land.

Sitting outside in the rain, Marble struggled with the harsh reality of it all. His rider was gone. The only one to ever truly care about his well-being , and his closest thing to a friend, had run off and vanished without a trace. _My fault… I didn't look after my rider like a good friend should…like a brother should. And now she's lost, and maybe cold somewhere._ Rain soaked every inch of his body, making him cold and miserable. He considered both to be less than adequate punishment. The memory of the last time he had seen her had already become clear in his mind, and remembering the look she had given him as he pushed her away made him flinch.

_You look like a dragon with regrets. _Toothless walked up next to Marble and extended one wing over his head. _Making yourself sick isn't going to help you find her any sooner. _

Appearing to not care for the shelter Toothless ad so kindly given him, Marble scoffed and walked toward the cave. Being too hardheaded to admit the truth in his fellow dragon's words, he simply took it upon himself to seek shelter.

"Hey Marble." Hiccup reached out and touched his snout with half a grin. "You should go get some rest." Gesturing to a small pile of sheets and obviously dirty bedding, he sighed. "It's the closest thing to comfortable we've got." Seeing the dragon's attitude remain gloomy, he turned to Toothless as he walked in.

Watching hiccup closely, Toothless could see that he wanted to know how things had gone outside. Half closing his eyes, he lowered his head as if to say "not so good".

"You know, I've been thinking a lot about what happened with Ember…what is it that you guys went to that you couldn't bring just one REALLY good friend?" Frankie started to pet Beryl after he had jumped up on her lap with the arrow still in his mouth.

"It was the Viking festival." Astrid sat on an empty crate that she had flipped over onto it' side. "It's basically a massive family reunion that takes place every three or so years."

"And why couldn't she go?" Frankie could see this turning against her she answered her own question first. "And the reason she couldn't come with Alyssa and myself is because we went to a funeral for a friend. Not that she couldn't have gone, it just would have been really…really awkward for everyone if she had tried to say something nice about someone she didn't know…and then ate the food."

"Well for one thing she isn't family." Hiccup joined Astrid on the crate as Toothless curled up near his feet on the floor. "You can't go if you're not a Viking."

"She's pretty Viking to me." Alyssa looked back at Hiccup and smiled. "She pretty much saved all of our hind ends when I came down to that serpent, and she did almost get eaten in the process. Other than that, he helps out around the village and takes care of anything that needs doing. What does that make her if not family?" Getting through to both Hiccup and Astrid was something only ever achieved by Ember, but this time Alyssa had talked some real sense into the two still very naïve Vikings.

"Yeah, I mean what is family when you **really **think about it?" Picking Beryl up and looking around a smile spread wide on Frankie's face.

_I love you…but please love, not in front of the others. _Closing his eyes, Beryl found himself being smothered to death in Frankie's embrace.

"It's a bunch of people who care about each other no matter what." Feeling Beryl trying to scramble free, she accidentally released and stuck herself with the tip of the arrow. "Ouch!"

Laying down among the sheets, Marble could sense something familiar. It was a scent. However, only one thing had ever smelled of this same sent…something to which the sent belonged. Opening his eyes, she realized that he had buried his face in an old green shirt. For a moment joy took over, but after seeing this shirt, he could also see and smell several other items of clothing that were not that of his rider.

"What's going on Marble?" Stepping down from his place on the crate, Hiccup walked half way across the room followed by Astrid. Noticing the green bundle of cloth that was now held in Marble's mouth, he looked to Beryl. "I need to see that." Taking the long thin piece of wood in is hands, he examined every inch of it. "Astrid, does this look familiar to you?"

Taking the arrow from Hiccup's hands, Astrid looked it over for a moment. "It's the same kind of arrow Ember uses…only there's no arrow head."

"So she's been living in this cave?" Frankie looked around and tried to imagine any kind of girl living in these conditions. Sadly, she could almost imagine Ember's entire everyday life taking place in such a cave. _Well at least we know she hasn't changed. _

"And it appears she's got a couple of friends." Picking up two different outfits, Alyssa looked up. "And I think I may have found one of them already."

Turning around, everyone came ace o face with Gina, holding her sword out with an un-trusting look on her face. "Who are you and why are you in my house."

She had returned upon leaving her favorite sword lying around for the thieves to take. However, she hadn't expected to find the thieves going through her dirty laundry.

"What do you mean what are we doing? We came here to get out of that!" Pointing to the storm, Frankie huffed. "It's sort of RAINING outside."

"You can explain what you were doing to my sister." Narrowing her eyes, Gina looked around the room. "You can explain back at my village."


	10. Never Leave Me Again

"Gina!" Mia looked up from her place around the village fire with an angry look on her face. "Who the hell are **they**?" Getting to her feet she walked over to her now embarrassed looking sibling. "Honestly. Father's gunna kill us both!"

Seeing Mia raise her hand, Gina had no time to avoid being smacked in the back of the head. "Ouch! Hey, not so hard!" She held her head and winced in a bit of pain before punching Mia in the arm. "I had to bring them, they found our campsite."

"A BLIND MAN could find our campsite. It's not HIDDEN!" Holding her forehead much like her father had during the meeting, Mia sighed in frustration. _You would honestly think that she would know not to do this by now, I mean we barely managed to get by with bringing Ember in here. _

"Well it's too late to go back now, because they've kinda seen everything." Looking back at the rest of the group, Gina smiled. "Now why don't you tell us exactly what you were doing so deep in the forest, and WHY you were going through our cloths."

_They were going through our cloths? _Holding that thought, Mia looked past the group as they continued to talk, and found both Marble and Toothless standing a good distance away, sniffing the air and looking around as if they had never seen such a place as where they now stood.

Truth be told, they had in fact NEVER seen so many of their kind living peacefully with one another, and they would have never fathomed seeing a mixed colony of both people and Night Furies. However, for Marble it was less about where he was…and more about what he could smell in the slightly warm air inside the village.

_That scent…but where is it coming from? _He now squirmed and paced around trying to find the place where the smell originated. Walking up to Mia he lightly pushed her down and began to smell her clothing. He was disappointed. It appeared that Mia was the origin of the scent, and this sent him directly back to his heavy heartedness. Had he truly forgotten his own riders sent?

"Marble bud, it's not her." Hiccup pulled back on the handles of Marbles saddle and forced him from where he stood on top of Mia.

"If you're going to stay here, you're going to have to keep your dragons under control." Getting up again, Mia growled in irritation. "If he's going to do that to anyone else, he's going to have to leave."

"Hey!" Astrid marched forward and got face to face with Mia. "You have no right to tell us what to do when you don't even know who we are, or what we've been through!"

The tension's quickly escalated from this point on, and onlookers gathered around after sending for the village Chieftain.

"We don't welcome travelers who start fights as soon as they get here." Mia hissed through her teeth trying not to do something she might later regret. "So with all due respect, I think you should leave."

"With all due respect, it's pouring down rain and we CAN'T leave." Frankie had now joined Astrid, and both were gagging up on Mia.

Being the son of a Chieftain, Hiccup tried to think of what his father would do in a situation like this. However, seeing that he and his father were nearly two different people entirely, he could think of nothing to quell the fighting before him. "A-Astrid, Frankie, try to calm yourselves." Stepping into the midst of the fight, he held up both hands.

As the fight went on, both Mia and Gina seemed to completely forget about Ember being unconscious in the hut just behind them. They also seemed to forget everything Ember had been telling them about her old friends from Berk. Had they remembered this, perhaps they would have recognized the group standing before them, and perhaps they would have thought to warn Ember about their presence before diving head first into a conflict.

However, Ember had no knowledge of the people standing directly outside, and unfortunately for her she was waking up from her fainting spell nearly three hours before.

_What's all this noise about…? _Feeling as if she had been asleep for ages, Ember lifted her head from the pillow and sat up in bed. _And how did I get here? _The memory of what had happened after se left the meeting came to her in bits and pieces until she could remember the entire incident. _Aside from this being just my luck, I wonder what Oden expects me to do about an entire ARMY. _Stretching her arms out to side she could feel things becoming clear, and the yelling and fighting from outside became louder.

"That's enough!" The Chief walked into the village square accompanied by the elder and a few men. "Now what's this all about?" He had changed into what appeared to be a commanding uniform under a bear skin over throw. Seeing the new comers her turned to Gina. "This is the last time. You aren't to bring anymore people here! You understand! I've got enough to deal with without you leading strangers into the village!"

Gina's heart sank as her father continued to scold her. "Dad I-"

Walking to the window, Ember could see everything outside clearly. _What the hell are they all doing here?_

_**Save her.**_

_I-I can't…I- _Looking out at the scene unfolding before her, Ember's heart sank just as low as Gina's did. _Stop yelling at her…she didn't do anything wrong. _Seeing Gina near tears Ember tried to force herself to move. She didn't budge. She couldn't bring herself to face Hiccup and the others. _Please Gina…Understand that I just…_Seeing the conflict at an end she watched as Gina stormed away in tears. _What kind of friend am I…that I just let that happen? _

The weight she had felt before she passed out returned with a vengeance. However, unlike the previous time, she could breath. Every breath shot pain through her entire body, but this time she wasn't giving in. _Oden, I am not your puppet to be forced into servitude. I'm a human being, and right now I refuse your demands. _

_**Interest… **_

Ignoring the words, Ember grabbed a nearby cloak and folded it over her forearms. "However…she is my friend…and if she needs me then I have to help…" She knew that this was what Oden wanted, and the thought of seeing her old friends after running off like she did only made the situation more awkward and unbearable. _Deep breaths…first things first. _Opening the door with a slam that drew a lot of attention her way, Ember walked out of the hut and toward the group of slightly stunned people. "CHIEFTAIN!" She could see the sudden look of surprise on the faces of everyone in Hiccup's group.

Everyone in the group was in fact entirely relieved to see Ember after so long, including Marble who could have charged at her out of sheer joy. The only thing holding them all back was the unsettling feeling they received as she marched up to the Chieftain with both fists curled.

"Chieftain!" Ember attempted to ignore the stunned looks on the faces of her old friends as she made eye contact with the village Chief. "How dare you speak to your own daughter like that!" Seeing the annoyed look on his face he could see that he was about to fight back. She didn't give him a fighting chance. "You inconsiderate monster! You should know better than to conduct yourself like that in public! Especially around your daughters!"

Seeing that they were being porously ignored, the group became confused. Each of them began to wonder how long she had actually been here…and if she was still mad.

Astrid soon got the answer to that question. Seeing ember look over t her, she could see something coming, and she had a feeling she knew exactly what it was.

Glaring back over at Astrid and the others, she closed her eyes and turned back to the Chieftain. "You know…family is something to be cherished. Even if you don't know it, what you do and say to the ones you care about can REALLY affect them. Or maybe you want her to run off like an idiot…like me." Looking back to the group Ember looked down without a word.

They understood.

_Did I really hurt her this much? _Marble crooned in a low pained tone that conveyed his sorrow.

"Ember, we're sorry about what happened." Astrid stepped forward and tried to apologize for what had happened all those months ago. "I-I don't know what to-"

Holding up her hand, Ember could feel that she no longer harbored the anger she once had. Thing's ad changed, and time had gone by. "Time heals all wounds." A smile crept across her face as she spoke. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she went back to face them. _No matter how much her words hurt me….and no matter how they feel about me. I know one thing…_ "You should uh…make yourself at home. We have a lot to talk about when I come back."

As terribly awkward as the entire situation was, the group could see a change in her attitude from the last time they had seen her. She was slower to anger, and less clingy than she had previously been.

_She's just like she was the first time we met…_ Hiccup smiled realizing what had happened. "I see leaving you alone actually seemed to do you some good."

Knowing he was right only made Ember feel even more wrong and awkward than before. "W-we'll talk this all out when I come back." Looking over at Marble she could feel something she hadn't felt for a long time. "Marble…forgive me for only thinking about myself."

Seeing his rider look on him with such a sorrowful look on her face after so long, caused some concern to show on his face. _No…_ Getting down into a pouncing position, Marble began to squirm again. Not until you laugh.

"Marble…" Seeing what was happening Ember's eyes grew wide. "Marble, no~ Marble don't you even think about it!"

"What do you say Astrid? Do we help?" Hiccup looked around the group with a smile.

"Naw, I say we just let them sort this out." Astrid playfully waved her hand in Ember's direction with a smile. "I mean who are we to break up such a loving reunion?"

_What the bloody hell are you waiting for? _Beryl walked up and sat down next to Marble who at this point had worked himself into nearly a frenzy of excitement. _Get on with it- _He was knocked sideways as Marble took off.

"Whoa!" Nearly dropping the cloak Ember found herself being chased and tackled by her large energetic companion. She had missed this…now more than ever she realized how truly difficult it had been for her to be without him. As he licked her face, she began to cry. "Please don't ever leave me alone again…" Wrapping her arms around his snout she could almost feel his response.

_I won't…I promise. _He too realized how horrid it had been without her, and it felt even worse now that he thought about it.

But things would be different this time. 


	11. Trap

Preparing to depart with her dragon Ash and her sister, Gina looked to Ember as she mounted the saddle. "We'll be back in the morning." She still looked a bit sore from what had happened between her and her father the couple hours prior. "We'll find the army, and check their progress…if they're anywhere near the village, Gina and I will find them." Holding onto Ash's saddle, an angry glare stood plastered on Gina's face. _No one even stood up for me…what the hell is the use of having a twin sister if she never helps me when it really matters? _

Noticing the angry look her sister wore on her face, Mia became concerned. "Hey Gina, you ok?" Reaching out a hand she was surprised to find her move away. _What's with her? _She could sense something resembling the feeling of anger and resentment emanating from where Gina sat on the saddle, but couldn't understand why.

Being so new to the world of sorcery and physic power had its disadvantages, and made it frustrating to not be able to decipher something as minimal as emotion.

Without a second glance, Gina led the way out of the village and into the rain.

"What's her problem?" Astrid walked up next to Ember accompanied by Hiccup.

"Oh, it's not entirely her fault…" Watching the two girls disappear around the corner on their dragons, she sighed. "I wasn't doing my job as her friend, and I let her get yelled at." A saddened look appeared on her face. "Well anyway, I should inform you all about what's going on. There's a lot to tell, and I'm afraid there isn't much time to tell it in."

Hearing the dangerous tone in his rider's voice, Marble could remember only one other time that she had been so serious. _Something bad is about to happen… _Nudging his snout under Ember's arm, he let out an anxious croon.

"I know you can sense it too…but fear is something normal." A smile crept across her face. "Just don't worry, and I'm sure we'll find a way out…just like always." Patting her worried companion on the head she was overwhelmed by a looming sense of doom. "If I can talk to Odin, then there must be something I can do."

With the rest of the group hot on her tail, Ember was taken a bit by surprise when Frankie walked up from behind and gave her a massively comforting hug.

"Um…that's just…to show you that you do have family that cares about you." Frankie backed up and walked with Alyssa.

"Yeah, and entire village worth." Hiccup nudged her with a slight smirk. I think anyone would aree that you've earned a place."

Without a word more being spoken, Ember led the group into the elders hut.

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After nearly an hour of running through the damp forest, Mia and Gina had come across several un-settling sins of destruction. Several camp sites through-out the forest now lay destroyed and uninhabited.

Thought these sites were now uninhabited, they held some tragic and horrifying clues as to why that was. Blood stained the tarps and cloth which scattered the ground among many of the sights, and under mounds of dirt lay the remains of several people…some of them mere children.

"We're getting close." Picking up a broken razor blade, Gina looked back to Mia who was doing her best to avoid looking at the blood. "Why do you INSIST on coming on scouting missions with me if you can't handle a little blood? I mean you know there's usually blood on a scouting mission."

Holding her eyes closed, Mia groaned. "I come so I can keep an eye on you." Feeling around for Sierra, she grabbed onto the saddle and swung one leg over her back. "Let's just get out of here, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this. We should go back while we still can."

"No, we still haven't found the barbarians the elder told us about…and until we do we can't give up." Holding her hand to the earth, Gina sighed in frustration. "UGH! Why can't I find them!"

"Uh, better question. Why do you WANT to find them?" Mia opened her eyes and growled looking into the grey sky. "Maybe they couldn't find it and they left, I mean…why go looking for a bunch of murderous, oppressive men?"

"What is it with you and men?" Turning toward Mia with fists curled, Gina glared at her sibling who didn't seem to notice. "I mean our dad's a man, and he's always treated you right!"

"Well yeah but still, it's not fair that he thinks men and women aren't equal…it's not right to patronize us just because of our gender." Sensing the anger level rising in her sister's ora, Mia looked to the stories she had heard from the elder for a way to calm her sister's nerves. "You know…there's an old story about a girl and her village Chieftain…She worked very hard to impress the Chief of her village, but only became disappointed when she was overlooked. Trying even harder to impress him didn't work wither, and by the time she had grown old and the chieftain had died, she came to realize that all he needed to do was stand up for herself." A break in the rain sent a breeze through the camp-sight. "If you want father to be impressed with you, then do something daring and stick up for yourself like I do. That's all it takes."

Thinking about this oddly wise advice, Gina laughed. "You know, I think you might be right about that." Talking up to Ash she didn't notice the odd anxious look on his face as he glanced seeming uneasy about something around them. "I mean fighting with him doesn't help…so maybe if I-"

Her words had barely passed her lips before a sharp pain shot through her side. _What in the name of…the gods…_ Suddenly her body fell limp on Ashe's back, and a flood of warmth began to pass over her back and side. _What is this…?_ Hearing a sudden scream, she attempted to focus on what had begun to happen around her.

She could see small objects flying through the air, and could suddenly feel the massive dragon beneath her lift from the ground. Her sister was shouting her name, but nothing made sense to her anymore. They were now shooting through the air at top speed, but as to what direction they were going she couldn't tell.

A few more shrieks rang deafly loud in her ears, and they sent a surge of fear coursing through her chest. Ash was hit, and now they were both plummeting to the earth. Soon however, she could no longer tell where she was or what had happened, and the only thing she could think of was the obvious fact that she had overlooked. In all her days as even a minor hunter, she had been the best at rapping her prey, yet she had remained oblivious to the trap she herself had fallen into.

She hadn't considered the fact that perhaps the enemy would be waiting for them…but how could they have known where they would be?

Everything went black in that instant.


	12. The Hunted

After being attacked by the enemy she and her sister had been tracking in the woods, Mia had barely escaped with her own life, and the life of her dragon. With a heavy heart, she stumbled back into the village in tears. She couldn't believe that her sister could really be gone.

"What happened?" The Chieftain looked to is daughter in horrified shock as he realized Gina was nowhere to be found. "Where is Gina? Where is your sister?" Seeing that she was about to lose her balance, he stepped forward and caught her as she fell forward.

_I'm sorry Gina…_Being unable to do anything about what had happened, Mia started to black out. She couldn't stop the overload of sadness and regret that flooded into her mind, and what made it all the worse was being able to sense the pain of her father. "I'm sorry…I couldn't…I-I couldn't…" With tears blurring her vision she closed her eyes.

Everything went dark for her just as it had for Gina.

A sudden surge of rage took its hold on the Chieftain, and placing Mia on the ground, he turned to face Ember. "You."

_With a temper like his, I have a feeling he's going to need SOMEONE to blame for all of this. _Knowing what would be coming, Ember turned to the group and pointed to the hut. "Get inside."

"Ember, we aren't going to just leave you here-" Hiccup caught the angry glare he had begun to receive from her and closed his mouth. _I'm a Chief's son. Why am I so threatened by a dirty look? _"No. I'm not giving to just stand by and let you get-".He stopped as a strange smile crossed Ember's face. Suddenly he understood what Ember needed to do. _She's cleaver. _

Trying not to look too impressed, he took Astrid by the hand and looked around with encouraging glances. "You heard what he said, let's get inside."

"B-but Hiccup! You're in charge here, not her!" Astrid still had no clue what was going on, and wondered what would possess Hiccup to show such blatant disregard for the safety of a friend. "This is so unlike you. She's our friend, we have to help her!"

Pulling her into the hut before she could cause any more of a scene, Hiccup looked her in the eye and spoke so everyone who followed could hear. "Just watch her work."

Giving Marble the signal to stay back, Ember held her ground as the now raging mad Chieftain mad his way toward her with both fists curled. _Oden…I know you and I don't exactly see eye to eye on certain things, but on this I think we and both agree. He's not going to hurt me._

"You miserable wench! You've cursed my village by coming here and showing your face!" The chieftain's face and arms turned red, and his eyes fluttered with anger. "If you hadn't come here my daughter would still be here, and the enemy wouldn't be on its way!" Reaching forward, he took both of her arms and lifted her off of the ground.

"I hate to tell you this, but **I** am not the one you're mad at." Keeping her every breath steady, and her temper under control, Ember concentrated on what she was doing. "Can't you see that you're blaming the wrong person for your anger?"

These words infuriated the Chieftain, and tightening his grip around her forearms, he felt as if he could snap both of her arms clean off. "Don't you tell me who I'm angry with you vile creature! It's all your fault she's gone! How could you even think I'm still mad about what happened with her earlier? She's my daughter!"

Marble tensed up and crouched down with a low angered growl. His eyes narrowed into cat-like slits, and he was ready to pounce in as soon as he needed to. However, sensing the calm nature emanating from Ember's body, he decided to stay back a little longer. _She had better know what she's doing…_

"Did I say you were?" Ignoring Marbles reaction, Ember held back a smile realizing she had done it. "As far as I can recall I never mentioned anything about what happened earlier." Looking him in the eye, she could see the anger soften into sadness. "I know you didn't mean to lose your temper like you did…and somewhere I know Gina knows it too." The grip he had on her loosened and before she could blink she had been lowered back to the ground.

Not knowing what had just happened, the Chieftain looked around trying to think. Feeling overwhelmed by a torturous sorrow, he fell to his knees and began to weep. "I didn't mean it…she's….she and Gina are just…so much like their mother." Curling his fists at his side, he tried to fight the tears. _She was always so kind…and wanted so much to share our village with others…I-I just- _There was a sudden calm as someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

It was Mia.

"Father, you know as well as I do that she couldn't stay mad at you…and that she really did love you very much." Tears ran down her cheeks, but where a frown should have been there was a smile. "Don't worry…I can't explain it, but I just know she's alive somewhere…"

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Waking up was something Gina found to be quite unfortunate. Things remained black, and the pain in her side had become sharp and agonizing, making it difficult to breath and move. As a matter of fact, she found that she couldn't move at all. A couple of things she had determined after regaining consciousness were that it wasn't dark, but she was wearing a blind fold, and she couldn't move due to what felt like ropes binding her hands and feet.

The muffled laughter of a group of men caught her attention, and though she couldn't concentrate on much else than her won pain, she could tell that they seemed to be laughing at something that appeared to be shrieking. _Ash…_ "A-Ash…Ash!"

The shrieking continued for another minute, before a woman began to yell.

"What do you think you're doing? You imbeciles! We're going to need BOTH of them alive!" Her voice, like the others, was distant. However, this voice was one that struck fear into even Gina. It commanded respect, and sounded as if it could carry its pitch even through the strongest gale of wind. "If you know what's best for you, you'll put the beast back in its age and leave it alone!"

There were sudden footsteps as someone came closer to the place where Gina lay on the ground. It appeared that she was being kept in a canvassed tent, because when the stranger came close enough, there was the sound of ruffling cloth as they entered.

"And you!" The stranger marched up to Gina's side and kicked her unnecessarily hard in her wound. "Keep quiet before I have you gagged as well as blindfolded!" Reaching town the strange woman picked her up and tossed her into a chair. "Tie her up! I want to see what she knows."

In the next couple of minutes, Gina found herself being tightly bound to the chair in which she sat. "Hey! Let me go! What have you done with Ash?" Closing her eyes, she could feel the deleriul taking hold as the blindfold was yanked from her face. "What the…" Trying to focus, it took a couple of minutes before she could grasp a firm picture of her captors.

Around the space encompassed by a large canvas tent, there stood six barbarian men, and one cloaked figure. The woman that had spoken before appeared to have left the room, for she could be seen nowhere. Each man bore a dragons fan tattooed into their arm, and all of them wore dragon skin pelts draped over their shoulders.

"I know who you are…you're the band of barbarians that go around looting villages and murdering dragons!" Now knowing who her captors were sent chills running down Gina's spine. _If this is the unholiest of all tribes…then that must mean that cloaked man in the middle is the leader._ The need to get free was now more necessary than it had ever been.

"Ah, I see you've figured it out then." The cloaked figure in fact WAS in fat the woman from before…only it now didn't sound like a woman. She sounded like a girl. A girl that could have perhaps been Gina's age.

In fact it was, and pulling back her hood se was found to be surprisingly beautiful. Her hair was a rather deep crimson red that matched her darker reddish brown eye color. In the shadows or the flickering torchlight they nearly looked black. The length of her hair couldn't be determined, for it hung back behind her head and ran down her back underneath the cloak. What she was wearing remained a mystery.

"Well now, if you've figured out who we are, then perhaps it's time you figured out what we want." Snapping her fingers she grinned looking to the door of the tent.

After a moment of further screeching, a few more barbarians marched into the room wheeling a cage in from behind. In the cage, Ash scrambled around in anger, and upon seeing her rider in such a state of danger, grew even more unruly and frantic. Though he could screech, his mouth was bound by rope and chain, making it impossible to open his mouth wide enough to form a fireball.

"We know you have an entire nest full of them hidden around here." The girl marched up and smiled an evil wide smile. "And you're going to tell me exactly where it is we can find them."

"I'd never EVER tell you scumbags where it is!" Struggling in the chair, Gina pulled on the ropes in a vain effort to escape the inevitable. "I'd rather die!"

"That can be arranged, but for a different time." Turning around, the girl still seemed happy. "I don't get to use this power often, but when I do I quite enjoy it." Once reaching a distance far enough away, she turned. "Now…let's say I take a little peak into that marvelous mind of yours and see exactly where it is you're hiding that nest."

What happened next shocked Gina to the point of tears. As a moment passed, she could feel something reaching into her mind and searching it's every corner for the information it desired. "Stop! You can't do this!"

"How wrong you are." The girl smiled with eyes closed. "Ah yes…the large tree near Dark Valley."

"But we searched all around that area, there's nothing for miles." One of the men seemed confused. "I was there to oversee the effort myself."

"You idiots wouldn't have seen it had you been standing right in front of it." There was a slight flash of irritation on her face a she spoke to the men. "There's a large tree that grows into the wall. The village lies inside the mountain behind it." Looking back at the men behind her. "And if you two wish to see the light of day ever again, I suggest you get a few fire balls ready for our strike."

"NO!" Tears now welled up further in Gina's eyes as she watched everything unfold in front of her. He village was in danger…and it was all her doing.

"Yes master Saline, right away." The men appeared to be afraid of only her, and as she spoke they wheeled Ash away.

"We attack at dusk tomorrow." Saline turned to look at Gina with an intrigued expression. "I wonder if you would know someone…" Walking over to a box in the corner, she lifted the lid and pulled out a small sick. Making her way back over with the stick in hand, she smirked trying to keep the enjoyment she felt to herself.

Eyeing the stick in the girl's hand, Gina could vaguely remember seeing such an item before. It suddenly came to her. _Why does _she_ have one of Ember's arrows?_

"I see you recognize it." The look on Gina's face said all it needed to. "I'll just take that knowledge as well." Closing her eyes she could feel only a slight bit of resistance, as she had caught Gina with her guard down. "Oh~ It's a girl. What a fantastic turn of events. I would have expected a hunter, but a HUNTRESS is very, very rare to find."

"Why do you want to know about Ember?" Gina was even more confused than she had been before. _Since when does someone call a huntress rare?"_

Hearing the question on Gina's mind, Saline strolled up to her in a rather matter of fact way. "You see, I myself don't hunt dragons, or wolves, or even bears. I hunt the things that hunt **them**. Seeing Gina's eyes go wide she chuckled a bit. "I'm hunting you're new friend…and the last time I checked.

I never walk away empty handed." 


	13. Preparing for Battle

Darkness fell trough-out the village as the people mourned the loss of one of their beloved twin guardians. The feeling of desperation hung in the air, and people in their huts packed their things.

Knowing that the people were trusting her to make the important decisions, Ember along with the Chieftain had ordered the immediate evacuation of all women and children. Leading them to safety was something she would have to trust Astrid and Frankie with.

_**Flashback**_

"Is there any other way into or out of the village?" Hiccup sat with Astrid, Ember, Mia, and the Chieftain in a small tent near a secluded section of the village. This is where the plan of action had been being discussed for nearly three hours, with still no actual plans made.

With both hands on his knees, the Chieftain thought hard. "Yes, there are two tunnels directly opposite the tree near the hind wall of the mountain. They haven't been used in years, but if I'm not certain they're still both intact."

"Then we have to use them…but getting the people out without them being caught and slaughtered is a completely different problem." Astrid sat cross-legged next to Hiccup trying to think of solutions. "If we take them out the front passage, then it makes t too obvious."

"And if we take them down the tunnels, they could be coming down them at the same time." Ember jumped in to finish Astrid's sentence and provide another possible problem. "If we sent a bunch f women and children into the tunnels and the enemy has already gotten inside, then they'll be completely helpless." Getting to her feet she rubbed her eyes. "These people are not Vikings, and I doubt their women have the first clue on what to do in hand to hand combat."

"Well maybe if SOMEONE would let women fight and train like the men do, we wouldn't have that problem." Eyeing her father, Mia raised a brow. "Would we?"

"After what happened to your sister, I think you may be right…" It was the first time he had ever admitted that to Mia, and it didn't come as easily to him as he had hoped it would. "The women are not prepared to take on men with weapons."

"Then what are we supposed to do? We can't send the men with the women, or there will be no one here to defend the village." Hiccup looked to Astrid for backup, which he received with an assured nod. "There has to be another way."

A chuckle echoed through Ember's chest and he smiled. "Hiccup, there are certain things I'm surprised you haven't learned yet." Walking over to the cloth door, she continued to speak. "It's like the lesson you learned about family. Family isn't JUST a blood tie…but a relationship. And a Village isn't just a place…" Pulling back the door, she revealed the village and its people who now scurried around from home to home in frantic dismay. "It's the people that live in that place."

Hearing this sent chills down the Chieftain's back. He couldn't understand how someone so young could have wisdom so far beyond her years. "What is it that makes you so wise?"

Not quite knowing how to respond, Ember blushed a bit. "I-I'm not wise, I just use my head. Anyone can see the simple things if they just pay attention." Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she listened closely. _Give me a sign…what should we do? _

Suddenly Mia's eyes turned dark and she began to meditate. "I see something."

Remembering Mia's physic abilities, Ember tied the door back before walking over to her. Her sign was about to be given. "Tell me exactly what you see."

Concentrating, Mia began to dream a rather frightening dream. "There's a raven…" _But…ravens only migrate through here in the summer. _Finding it a bit odd, she continued. "The bird is flying above the trees and…no, now he's diving into the tree that hides our village…it's tearing the tree away from the mountain and wait. There are more ravens swarming in. Our men are fighting the birds, but they're vastly outnumbered. Now there's a snake…a serpent-like dragon slithering around among the herds of people and birds. It's the leader, but it doesn't seem to care if the birds die or live…it's looking for something, but what it is I ant see." Just as she was about to open her eyes, she caught the scent of smoke that had drifted in from the village outside. "Wait…they're starting to die. The birds are starting to die, because f he fires they set…and the entrance is starting to close its self up with a rock slide…there are only two figures left now…but I can't see who they are, but one of them is…hurt and dying."

The entire group sat it awe as they watched her open her eyes. No one could believe the vivid dream she had just had in their presence, and some of them even had to remind themselves to breathe.

"I understand." Ember walked outside. "The raven is the enemy, and the tree I how they'll get in." Looking toward the tree she unraveled the plan in her head. "They'll take out the tree to push their army through the side of the mountain…they'll think they have us, but the women and children will have gotten away safely." Reaching out to Marble her eyes raced in all directions. "The men will fight despite the numbers, and just when it all seems hopeless the fires will become too intense and the smoke will fill the mountain. With nowhere to go and only limited visibility, the enemy will be clueless and have no sense of direction. The village men will get away, and the instable rock where they pulled away the tree will cause an avalanche of rock and debris…the exit will close, and the enemy will die." The plan came together perfectly in the end. "Here's what we need to do."

Looking to Astrid, she smiled. "You and Frankie are going to need to get the women and children safely through the tunnels. If anyone shows up, kill on sight." Turning from Astrid she looked at both Hiccup and the Chieftain. "You two need to round up as many good men and weapons as you can."

"But what about me?" Mia stood up. "Just because-"

"Look, it had nothing to do with you being a woman." Ember looked Mia in the eye. "You are good at what you do as a physic…but your sister is the one who is gifted in battle." Reaching forward she placed a hand on her shoulder. "For her sake and for your own, I need you to go with the others. You can defend them if they run into trouble if you really want to help." Extending her hand out in front of her she smiled. "Deal?"

Thinking on it for a moment, Mia knew Ember was right. As much as she didn't want to…she agreed. "Deal…but you have to get my sister back for me…and her dragon too."

With a slight grin, Ember looked over to both Marble and Toothless. "Don't worry. Marble's on it already." Tightening her grip on Mia's hand, she made direct eye contact with her. "I'll need Sierra to stay behind and help with the fires. We need lots of them, and most of the dragons have already gone off as a precaution to protect their young."

"But…"

"Don't worry." Hiccup now stood next to Ember and gave the same reassuring look she did. "Toothless will protect Sierra."

Hearing the entire conversation from just outside, Toothless lifted his head and looked over at Sierra. _Oh…just great._

Rolling her eyes and turning around, Sierra flicked her tail and hit him in the face. _The only one who's going to need any watching is you._

"Ok everyone, is it a deal?" Ember looked around the room, and was happy to see everyone nod. "Ok…and if anything goes wrong." A knot built in her chest. "If anything goes wrong, run or fly away from this place as fast as you can."


	14. The Battle Begins

By the time darkness had fallen outside the village, every woman and child had successfully escaped through the tunnels and into the woods. As soon as they had all exited the village and the last child was out of sight, the stone wall above the entrance was demolished. If anything were to go wrong for them now, there would be no turning back.

Everything in the village was at the ready, and not one of the village men seemed to worry about the battle to come. From what they had heard, the plan sounded relatively full-proof and simple. However, they lacked the ability to comprehend exactly what would need to happen in order for everything to fall perfectly into place.

Readying herself for the fight, Ember dressed herself in surprisingly normal attire. She wore no armor or leather, and her weapon of choice was her normal bow and arrows. The way she figured it, if she was going to need to be quick and light on her feet, it would be best not to weigh herself down.

_This fear…_ Feeling Marble take his place at her side, she extended a hand and let it rest on the bridge of his snout. "They'll be here soon. The knot in my chest is getting tighter…which usually means something bad is about to happen." With a sigh of anxiety, Ember gazed over at her loyal companion with loving eyes. "I'm glad you came to find me Marble…and just in time too." Turning her obviously frightened face away from him she shook a bit. "W-we're in this together…and I know this is about teen times scarier than facing one serpent, but w-we have to do this."

_Hey…_ Sensing his riders fear, and knowing she was completely right to tremble, Marble nudged her side to snap her out of it. This was no time to be falling apart, and he knew that if the men his rider had to lead saw her in such a state, they would question her. _I'll be right here with you. _

Snapping herself out of it, Ember wiped the tears from her eyes. "Fear is something natural. It's ok to be afraid Marble." Patting his snout, she lifted her hand away and cracked her knuckles. "Al we have to do now is wait for the-" Looking to one of the rope bridges above the village she saw the very signal she was about to refer to. "Signal…"

Hiccup stood positioned with Toothless and the Chieftain, along with several dozen other dragons. Waving his hand in a circular motion, he crouched down low on Toothless' back. _I hope you know what you're doing Ember…_ Patting Toothless on the neck, he smiled. "It's been a while since we've fought in a real battle huh bud.

_You better hang on a little better than you did last time._ Remembering the encounter with the dragon queen, he couldn't help but get a tad nervous. After all, his rider went into the battle intact, but came out of the battle missing a leg and near death. Shaking his head he tried not to think about it.

A sudden hush came over the village as every fire in sigh was extinguished. Even Marble was in capable of being spotted in such darkness, which made it the perfect environment for Night Furies to sneak around in.

The calm began to consume the men that lay hidden in the shadows of alley ways and huts. After nearly an hour of nothing, there came the sound of men scurrying around outside the tree. Every man outside yelled and baked orders at the top of their lungs.

_Obviously I over estimated the enemy when I considered them sneaking up on us._ Holding her face firmly in her hand, Ember knelt down next to Marble who stretched as he came out of his lazy waiting state. "Marble, I know I told you to be near me, but now it's time for you to do a very important job." Placing a hand over his forehead, she felt at peace. "I need you to find Gina and Ash for me."

_No, I'm not leaving you on your own. _Pushing his way under her arm, he lightly knocked her to the ground with a refusing growl.

"You have to go get them for me." She knew this would be his exact reaction once the whole thing started, but she also knew how to work her way around his stubborn bull-headedness. "I'm counting on you to bring my friend back to me alive, and I know you want to save Ash."

Knowing that she needed her to do this tore Marble apart. If he left her, then she would be fighting on her own, but if he stayed two lives might be lost. Asking himself one question, tried to make a decision. _If I leave her…can she survive?_

"Ok then, we're agreed." Standing up knowing that Marble was still in he midst of a decision, Ember spotted fires burning. "It's time."

_**Outside**_

If being tied to a tree with her dragon at her side wasn't bad enough, then perhaps being tied to a tree with her dragon WHILE watching her village about to be destroyed was.

Gina struggled against the chains that now bound her to a pine tree just outside the entrance to her village. She would be getting a front row seat to the madness Saline was ready to unleash on her village, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. "You evil witch! You can't do this! There are women and children in there!"

Not giving the slightest inkling of hope that she cared one way or the other, Saline watched as the tree burned up quickly. Her face wore a smile as she thought of the havoc she would soon be unleashing on the "unsuspecting" village that lay waiting just inside.

Once the tree had burned for a while, the men tossed a few chains around the limbs and roots and lined up.

"Bring it down!" Watching the look or horror fill Gina's eyes, she laughed. "How does it feel to know you've led us right to the source?" Looking back, she was nearly filled with joy as the massive tree came out of the earth in which it was born. The only thing to ruin this moment was the fact that…there was nothing there. "What?" Her eyes fluttered in anger as she looked around the dark cavern. "Where is it? The village isn't even here!"

_Where'd it go…?_ Not believing what her eyes were seeing, Gina blinked. _The entire village is just…gone?_

Seeing the enemy exposed, Hiccup gave the signal in a low tone. "Ok bud, start it up."

It took a moment, but before too long Toothless started to call out to the others. Soon he and all the other Night Furies were calling out to one another to make their presence known.

A smile once more crept across Saline's face. "They ARE here." Looking back to the men she raised her hand and pointed into the cavern. "What are you waiting for? Get in there and find the damn village!"

"No!" Gina tried to reason with the men that now charged blindly toward the entrance to her home. "Untie me now! Stop! You don't know what you're-" Seeing several sudden flashed of light she heard multiple massive explosions. _What the in the name of the gods…is going on?_

As the several explosions landed in the village, the barbarians could clearly see the men bursting from the shadows.

The battle had begun. 


	15. Unforetold Consequences

"Charge!" The Chieftain along with Hiccup and the rest of the dragons, swooped down from their place on the rope bridges above the city, and plunged down into the now burning houses below.

With houses set ablaze and men now rushing at each other with weapons out and ready, Ember began to experience a battle firs hand. It was everything she had feared and wanted to avoid, but something she had been thrown into by Odin himself. _This display of hate… Why do they come here to fight for something that may cost them their lives? What's the point of coming to ruin the lives of others when you yourself my not make it out alive? _Turning her face for a moment, she held her breath.

"This is what you wanted Odin? Then I'll fight!" Pulling an arrow from the case on her back, Ember turned back to the battle field and shot into the crowd of men that now raced toward her. If even one of those barbarians got their hands on her she knew it would all be over. "Come on! Show me what monsters like you can do!" With even more speed she grabbed three more arrows and shot them all with one shot.

Three men were down and bleeding to death on the floor, but other continued to rush her with weapons held high. With three more arrows fired, and three more men met their unfortunate end. Barbarians suddenly began to swarm in all around her from all sides, as village men rushed over and attempted to help her with them.

Knowing she couldn't use arrows for all of them, Ember began to swing the wooden and meal handle of the bow at her attackers head and neck. "Keep your mitts off of me!" Crouching down she jumped and pulled out another arrow. Taking quick aim, she quickly found the largest man and shot him square in the top of the head.

The men scattered seeing their strongest member taken down, and after reaching a safe distance, they thought it wise to regroup. Upon feeling ready to charge again, one of the men stopped the others seeming to remember something important.

_Why did they stop attacking me? _Not understanding the meaning behind their sudden lack of interest, Ember eyed them all before watching them run back into the battle and effortlessly overwhelm the other village men. She knew this would have to end soon…or else there would be no more village men to return home to their wives and children. _This battle's just begun…but already we're down to a fraction of the men we started with… _

_**Outside**_

Seeing the enemy distracted, Marble managed to quietly sneak out the front entrance. As he reached the tree where Gina now sat on the ground trying to gnaw through the chain, he paused for a moment to ponder what she was doing.

Upon realizing that she and Ash were no longer alone, Gina looked up with a slight blush. "I um…that is I was just…" Looking down she held out the ropes. "Just break the damn chains."

Eyeing the chain, Marble kissed. _It smells like serpent blood. _His eyes narrowed as he backed away a little bit.

"I don't have time for this Marble! My village is on FIRE and I have to help them!" Feeling even more desperate than before she stepped aside. "Just look at what they did to Ash!"

Looking around the tree to Gina's side, Marble felt his heart drop. _What did they do to her…? _

Ash lay breathing heavily on the other side of the tree, in a semi conscious way. The wounds in her side and on her tail said everything that needed to be said about what happened. Every breath and croon she could muster up sounded pained and tortured.

Seeing this built up a rage inside Marbles heart that he had never felt before, and narrowing his eyes he opened his mouth and let out the most ear splitting screech he had ever given off. Eyeing the chain again she raced up and without a moment more of hesitation, broke through the chains that bound the two of them to the tree.

Once this was done, Gina ran back toward Ash and knelt down. "She'll be ok…but she's hurt to bad to move…" Looking back she held out a hand to Marble. "Marble I need you to PLEASE watch her and protect her!" Not sticking around to see the answer, Gina raced toward the caves opening with only her bare hands as her weapons.

_**With Hiccup and Toothless**_

Maneuvering through the dense crop of people and hut's below came as no easy task when it seemed as if everything in sight were on fire. In truth, everything **was **on fire, which made every single maneuver a mercilessly hard task.

Smoke began to build up inside the village as it could find nowhere other than the front entrance to escape. With the smoke came the lack of oxygen and total darkness that made it even harder to keep blasting things with fire.

_That's enough. _"Toothless! Bud, it's time we found Sierra and got the other dragons out of here!" Adjusting the angle of the tail fin, Hiccup began to spiral up to the roof of the mountain. "Call them now!"

Hearing the urgency in his riders voice, Toothless let out a few low croons and roar before going into a dive. Lining up with Sierra, he made a quick count of every dragon in the group before leading them out through the dark, pluming toward of smoke that lead out of the village.

No sooner had he landed then the body on his back slumped over in the saddle and began to groan inaudibly. _Wait, what's going on? Hiccup! _

Examining Hiccup as thoroughly as she could, Sierra looked over at Toothless with a worried look. _The smoke around here is getting too thick for the humans to survive much longer. Get your rider away from here and he should be fine. _

Nodding in agreement, he took off in a dead run along with Sierra.

_**Back inside**_

Knowing that it was now or never, the Villagers gave out one mighty cry to signal that it was not smoky enough to get away. It would be all too easy to evade the enemy under cover of darkness, and the best part is that everyone knew exactly where they were running to.

Most of the barbarians couldn't believe what they were seeing as the men they were fighting with seemed to vanish from into thin air after backing into the snow. It was with this bazaar disappearing act that the barbarians realized how thick and un-breathable the air around them had become.

Becoming dizzy and disoriented, the barbarians began to panic and scramble for the exits. Unfortunately, the majority of them were only met by the sides of huts and rock faces that entrapped them. After a riot of mass hysteria and fearful yelling, nearly every voice was quieted by the thick smoke.

Every voice except one.

Holding her arm, Ember stumbled back after being hit by something sharp and heavy. "Who's there?"

"You did this…"

Feeling something pulling at her mind, Ember let out a much of a shriek as she could muster up. "Stop that! Who the hell are you?"

"You will pay for tricking me!" Out of nowhere there came two more strikes into Embers right side, and a blow to the head soon followed.

Pulling out an arrow, she attempted to see the figure that hid somewhere among the smoke and shadows. _Oden…what is this…?_

_**Your demise… **_

Not liking what he had just heard, Ember shot into the darkness and nailed someone who shrieked in a tinge of pain.

"You devilish brat!" The attacker was now exceedingly angry, and showed this with two more blows to Ember's head. "You've destroyed years of preparation to find this place!" With three more strikes, Saline's voice turned rather cheerful. "I've hunted many a rare game in my life, but you! Oh you… You've managed to know my every move…before I even made it." Holding Ember up by the shirt collar, Saline grinned wildly. "Now how did you manage to do that?"

Showing no fear, Ember looked Saline in the eye. _Odin…I don't understand. I've done all you've asked of me. I've fought in a battle that I didn't ask to fight in…I've tried my very best to make you happy with me…but still you will let me die like this? _With these thoughts she could see the wild joy in her attackers eyes. "T-tell me…why is it a stranger would hunt me like an animal? Why would you come here to cause so m-much pain?"

Holding Ember closer to her, Saline whispered in her ear. "I hunt for the joy of the kill…and I choose to lead an army because I enjoy the chaos I can create for others." Tossing Ember to the side, Saline inhaled the smoke and sighed. "My blood runs thick with smoky darkness. This is just my kind of place."

"What I should expect from a child of hell." Ember laughed a bit as the smoke made the pain melt into the back ground. "I would expect the lower life forms to look more like dogs or fish…but you…you're uglier than either of those things combine. People like you are what makes this world so sick and disgusting."

Hearing thee words displeased Salina, who had a rather touchy nerve when it came to the way she looked. "How dare you mock me! I am NOT the ugly one here! I'm the leader of the most feared of all barbarian armies!"

"The o-only army you control is an army of the dead…the only pro-problem is that they're just that…dead." Regaining her place on her feet, Ember braced herself as Gina's weapon came down on her harder than before. _Oden what do I do? What…do I…_ Thoughts began to mesh together, ad nothing she could think of made any sense.

Just like the day she had been poisoned, she could see nothing standing still. Everything swayed and bent with the steps that she took as she tried to stabilize herself.

"How dare you!" Lunging forward, Saline was struck by something sharp entering her side.

"No. How dare you." Gina stood with a weapon she had picked off of one of the dead Barbarians, and had it firmly lodged into Saline's side. "How dare you attack MY village, how dare you attack MY dragon, and how dare you threaten MY friends!"

Lifting one leg, Saline managed to struggle free while holding her side. "I'm no fool…I know when to bow out." Looking to Ember she smiled as she jumped and kicked Gina to the ground. "But you will still be now and forever my prey…and I am certain we will meet again you accursed wretch of a girl. I demand the fates not be kind to you…the next time around." Backing away she disappeared into the smoke.

After nearly five minutes of regaining her strength, Gina stood up and stumbled around. "E-Ember we have to get out of here…" The smoke had worsened, and the worst part was that she could no longer see Ember standing as she had been. "Ember, answer me…I said we have to-" Walking forward, she came to a dead stop as she bumped something laying in the floor. "No…"

Keeling down to where the smoke was a bit less thick, Gina found Ember passed out and unresponsive. "Get up." Reaching down she began to shake Ember with fear in her heart. "No…you can't do that, that's not fair! The legend didn't say you would die!"


	16. Goodbye but not Forever

_**Outside**_

Feeling the strain the battle had taken on him, Hiccup remained face down on Toothless' back in his saddle. Even after regaining consciousness and being out of the village for nearly ten minutes, he couldn't speak without coughing up smoke. "T-toothless, bud…where…where are the others?"

Walking back to where the smoke now plumed into the night sky, Toothless stopped under the trees closest to the entrance of the mountain. _They're here. _

Under one of the trees, Marble lay curled around Ash as if to give her comfort and shelter from the pain she still seemed to be in. His mind focused on her in a way that he couldn't explain. It was as if he had known her his entire life, and yet he had only known her for what was maybe the equivalent of two days. The whole thing felt a little wrong, and seemed even the slightest bit silly. _I can't possibly be in love. How can I even __**like **__someone I barely know? _

Looking around at the men that remained, the Chieftain sighed in relief before walking over to a tree root and standing up so all could see. "Congratulations!" Raising his hands he called attention to himself.

As Toothless walked up next to Marble, he looked over to see the women coming back. "Astrid? I thought we said for you to take the women into the woods!"

Not seeming to care at all that she had disobeyed an order, Astrid strolled into the middle of the crowed looking pleased. "Don't look at me, it was Mia's idea. She said the battle had already ended, and demanded to come back." Glancing over at Mia, she rolled her eyes. "And you know how it goes, once the Chiefs daughter leaves, it's hard to keep the entire flock of villagers from following."

Having his speech interrupted, he watched as Mia and the other women entered. "That's a feminist for you…always doing things the hard way." A wide grin stretched across his face as he gestured for the women to join them. "Like I was saying, this is a day that was foretold for centuries!" Holding his hands high above his head, the Chieftain became serious. "However, it is now much more than a prophecy…it has become history. Today a village was saved!"

At this, everyone lifted a fist with a shout of joy.

Peering through the crowd, the Chieftain found something odd. "Where is the chosen one?"

This question brought Marble back to attention in an instant, as he remembered seeing Gina go in…and seeing neither one of them come out. Hoping he had just overlooked the two, he got to his feet followed by Ash who could barely stand. _Don't move._ He snapped.

_You can't s-stop me, I have to look for Gina._ Limping forward, Ash slowly and painfully made her way into the crowd of people. Shifting her eyes as quickly as she could, she sifted through the mass gathering of villagers only to find Gina completely missing. _She's not here…neither of them are here!_

Seeing Ash's hysteria, the chieftain, Hiccup, and Astrid, all made their way through the crowd.

"What's wrong with her?" Kneeling down next to Ash, Astrid placed a hand on her bruised side. "It look like she's been attacked."

"Maybe, but at the moment I'm a little more worried about Ember. Shouldn't she have come out of there by now? And where is Gina?"

"Where is Gina?" The chieftain now looked at Ash with a curious face. "Where has my daughter gotten off to?"

_**Inside**_

Sitting and holding onto Ember's limp, lifeless body, Gina did her best to find any sigh that her friend was still with her. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be even a glimmer of hope. _I've only know her for a few months…but we became sisters all the same. Is this what it was for Mia when I fell from the sky? _Tears ran down her cheeks as she held Ember's body close. "I'll get you out…I promise…just don't leave your family here ok?"

There was no sign that Ember had even heard an inkling of what had just been sad to her, and as time went on she began to smell heavily of the smoke that surrounded them both. She was at that moment, precariously perched on the edge of death. This fact contributed to her silent nature, and made it difficult for her to care at all about living or dying. Her will to live was slowly slipping away from her, and so she stopped listening. She stopped thinking, caring, and holding onto anything she had once kept so close to her. 

Out of nowhere, an idea entered Gina's mind. _Dragons have sensitive hearing…maybe if I'm loud enough, one of them will hear me. _Laying Ember down on the ground, she stood up and took as deep a breath as she could. _Please…if the gods do exist…let someone hear me._ Opening her mouth she let out the loudest scream she could muster up.

Odin was listening.

_**Outside**_

As everyone busily searched for the two missing girls, their fears were becoming a reality. Both Ember and Gina had been lost to the burning village in the mountain. Hope seemed distant for everyone as the Chieftain announced the tragic fact that they may never see his beloved daughter or her friend ever again.

Hiccup nearly ran half the people in the crowed over as he and Toothless reached for Ember. "Astrid, are you sure she's not over there?"

"Yes Hiccup, I'm positive!" Shooting an angry glare his way, Astrid turned and was about to continue searching when nearly every dragon in the group looked up toward the smoke filled entrance.

Something inside seemed to spark their interest, and one by one they began to roar in excitement. Running toward the pluming smoke, even the dragons seemed to be unable to make it through to the village on the other side.

"They're listening to something…" Getting as close to the entrance as she could, Mia held up both hands and closed her eyes. Concentrating as hard as she could, she began to visualize the figures of both Ember and Gina inside. "It's Gina…and Ember. They're both still inside, but one of them is near the grim."

_The grim? _Looking to the smoke stack, Marble didn't quite know what to think about the current situation. _No matter what I promised to be there for her. _Narrowing his eyes he took a deep breath. _I'll get them out. _With one last deep breath he plunged into the smoke before the crowd behind him gasped in fear.

Nearly five minutes passed before he was able to find them both unconscious in the village square. By the look of them, they wouldn't live long enough to make it back out the way he had come in. Somehow he was going to have to get them out now. Thinking fast the obvious answer struck him. He would have to blast a new hole somewhere where the wall was weak.

Looking around for any weakness or flaw in the rock wall, he soon spotted a crevice nearly six hundred feet up the wall. It would have to do.

Scooping the two girls up with his front legs, he spread his wing and shot up the side of the wall. As he climbed, he could sense the life leaving both of the humans in his arms, and upon reaching the crevice he opened his mouth and fired a massive fire ball directly into the largest, deepest part of it.

Rocks and debris fell away from the wall in large pieces, until a small light shown through. Still, it wasn't big enough to fly through, and so he gave one last blast of fire before feeling light headed and nearly plummeting back to the ground.

Finding the hole now big enough to fly through, Marble picked up speed and shot out of the smoke and into the open air. _Who's awesome? _Hearing one of the human begin to cough, his heart lightened a bit. He had gotten them both out…but were they both alive?

Landing back at the trees near where he had entered, he dropped both girls gently onto the ground before being pushed aside by the Chieftain. _C'mon sis…_ Seeing his rider lay so still caused a wave of panic to shoot through his body. From his nose to his tail, every part of him wriggled in anxiety as he waited for the largest of the men to finish looking both girls over.

Waking up to swarms of people and her father glaring down at her didn't quite register with Gina at first. _Dad…too close…people everywhere…why? _With these "profound" questions, she sat up in a bit of a daze as her father looked over and began to check Ember for a pulse.

Seeing her sister appearing as if she were a slight bit intoxicated, Mia walked up and patted her on the back. "Breath in the fresh air, you should be fine. It's just the smoke, so your mind should clear up in a few minutes.

Finding a pulse, the Chieftain sighed in relief before laying Ember's hand in the soil. "Take her to the river and soak her in the water. Take the healer with you and do exactly as she says."

Watching a few women take Ember away, everyone in the village watched as if they were witnessing a death march.

Being the hard headed dragon he was, Marble followed the women and his rider though they all seemed to protest. He would not be separated from his rider again.

"H-hey!" Half lunging after Ember and the group of women, Gina was caught by her father. "Is she going to be ok?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine." Closing both eyes, Mia smiled. "She's already regaining her strength, so she should wake up in a few days if she rests."

_I will chain her to the tent if I have to. _Gina groaned looking up at her sibling. "I didn't risk my life to save her just to have he NOT rest and get better. So you better believe she'll be staying pu-" She was suddenly tackled by a grey night Fury that had been waiting and worried about her for what had felt like an eternity. "Ok, ok! Ash stop licking me in the face!" She couldn't help but laugh. "E-eeewwww!"

_**Nearly Two Weeks Later**_

"What do you mean you aren't coming back with us?" Hiccup and Gina along with the others in the group couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Carrying a small bag of supplies, Ember smiled an understanding smile. "I just can't come back and start back where I left off." Placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, she tried to hold back tears. "I promise I'll visit a lot, and I'll even write to you all about my adventures in the wonderful world of…me?" Shaking her head she continued. "I let myself get so wrapped up in being around all of you…which n my case, doesn't seem to be the best thing for me."

Everyone listened, but not one of them could understand.

Seeing their hurt faces, Ember began to explain. "Look, there's something about me…something I can't really explain. I was a huntress my entire life, and when I went to live in Berk I lost sight of myself. Being alone in the wild…it gives me focus, and helps me to think clearly." Chuckling, she blushed. "Not to mention the fact that I had gotten really clingy while I lived with you."

Seeing where Ember was coming from, Mia stepped forward and extended a hand. "I hope you intend to stay true to our promise and visit every so often."

"Yeah, I mean family doesn't just NEVER come visit other family." Gina walked up and punched Ember in the arm. "Plus. Now Marble's going to be a daddy, so he has to come visit." Catching a glimps of Marble and Ash crooning and wishing each other farewell, a tear came to her eye. "Not to mention, **I** will be taking a few of the dragons that stayed and creating a habitat for them on Berk…so don't be a stranger and miss all the fun."

"I'll miss you to Gina…I'll miss all of my family." Ember held her bow close. "It looks like you're ready to go…"

Looking back at the ships that stood beached on the sand, everyone held their breath. Wishing a good friend farewell was hard. Wishing family farewell was even harder. However, it **was **time to be setting sail.

"See you around?" Stepping forward, Hiccup extended a hand. "I mean you're always welcome in Berk."

"Thank you…" Making sure it was alright with Astrid, Ember bypassed the hand and went for a hug instead. "You'll most certainly see me around."

Watching them walk away again was hard for Ember to do…but this time it was different. Now they were family. Tied by a bond and kept together through strength. Them leaving wasn't the end, and she knew she would be seeing a lot more of them. _See you around… _Seeing them off and sailing, she watched them wave good bye.

"Ready to go?" Turning from the sea, she swung one leg over Marbles back and smiled.

_Are you? _Knowing the answer, he spread his wings and took to the sky.

_**From the Shadows **_

Somewhere amidst the heartfelt goodbyes on the sandy beach and the separation of family, someone with a heart of icy stone and an anger that raged like fire watched from the darkness. _You may have showed me up once…but you are still a cursed girl…and I won't rest until you die huntress._ Turning from the beach, the figure walked into the deepest part of the darkness and vanished.


End file.
